Project Leader - Sustainable Packaging Coating Applications

TITLE: Project Leader – Coating Applications

LOCATION: Onsite – Bedford Park Idea Lab, IL

REPORTS TO:  Senior Manager, Customer Solutions & Product Innovation, Industrial

Ingredion is hiring a Project Leader who will be responsible for providing technical expertise to external and internal customers for a broad range of Industrial applications but focused on Paper coating applications to assist customers with optimizing their current product lines and developing new ones. You will collaborate with business unit partners and cross functional peers to build industrial innovation pipeline and develop value added new product solutions that align with market trends and translate target market growth strategy into execution plans. In this role, you will work as the technical leader and subject matter expert in innovation product development and commercialization in key paper and sustainable packaging industrial segments with special focus on sustainable coating applications. You will be responsible for leading and conducting lab testing and field trials on new product commercialization. You will also provide technical support to our customers and be responsible for publishing both product technical and marketing materials to meet business needs.

As Project Leader your responsibilities will include:

• Building a good understanding of and creating benefit for our customers while using knowledge of the overall business strategy, products, and markets to execute goals.
• Leading new product development and proving out product portfolio’s functionality in customer applications and targeted markets and making adjustments/recommendations as necessary.
•  Evaluating current product offerings compared to required functionality in targeted markets and making recommendations for either new product development or complete existing product modification.
• Gaining customer insights from the Sales and Technical Services teams on new technologies of interest and working closely with the New Product Development and go-to-market teams on commercializing those products. Supporting research and new product development activities.
• Performing assignments involving complex laboratory procedures, new product design and synthesis. Independently carrying out assignments, constantly reviewing data for accuracy and interpreting and communicating results effectively to project teams.
• Planning and carrying out laboratory & pilot plant experiments and organizing appropriate data and maintaining findings in electronic lab notebooks.
• Developing and maintaining a strong working knowledge of Ingredion’s products and customers. Collaborating closely with our Sales, Product Development, and Technical Services teams to deliver new business.
• Creating new product technical documentation in support of commercialization.
• Providing technical expertise and support to customers and our internal go-to-market teams on a broad range of product technologies and applications.
• Collaborate directly with customers via phone, face-to-face meetings, presentations, and at trade shows to develop new product introductions.
• Collaborate closely with our Sales, Applications, and Product Development teams as well as with individuals in Technical Service to deliver new business.
• Utilizes a full range of processing and technical tools to solve complex customer problems.
• Keep in close communication with Sales team on customer work so that they fully understand the worth we are bringing to the customer.

The Project Leader position is well-suited for you if you are:

• Results oriented -have a sense of urgency and deep curiosity to diagnose problems & find solutions.
• Strong customer focused.
• Self-motivated and results driven.
• Prefer to work in collaborative teams.
• A creative problem solver with a strong focus on detail and quality who doesn’t quit until the solution is found.

Qualified candidates will have:

• Master’s degree or higher in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or a related technical field with minimum 10 years of experience in paper, packaging, or polymer coating
• Ability to travel approximately 40% of time.
• Demonstrated experience of creative, hands-on concept development formulation using laboratory and/or pilot plant equipment.
• Understanding of Paper and packaging operations and how they run.
• Strong project management skills and experience to execute work and deliver projects on time.  Understands how project plans and priorities are set and resourced.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, collaboration, and technical skills. Ability to leverage networks within and outside organizations
• Excell