Customer Technical Service Manager - North America

 

Position Title:

Customer Technical Service Manager – North America

 

Physical Location:

Memphis, TN

 

Pay Rate:

$95,000 - $126,000

 

Multiple factors, including Individual experience, skills and abilities will determine where an employee is ultimately placed in the pay range. Variable pay may provide additional opportunities for financial awards. This job is eligible to participate in IP’s annual short-term incentive plan.

 

The Job You Will Perform:

The Customer Technical Service Manager for North America provides a necessary and highly valued service to both pulp customers as well as the Global Cellulose Fibers business. This position serves as the technical interface between International Paper and its customers. This role also serves as the regional expert in technical and equipment trends as well as market intelligence for the designated region. Serving absorbent hygiene producers, the consultative expertise provided by CTS professionals enhances the IP value proposition, differentiates IP from competitors and is critical to executing the strategic objectives of the business. The CTS position represents the technical expertise of both fluff pulp and hygiene products while also being a seamless extension of both the manufacturing and sales teams.

 

Key tasks include but are not limited to the following:

• This position will own, within the CTS team, support for IP paper customers with our NBSK and SBSK Paper Pulp. This will require understanding of paper making fundamentals.
• Develop strong relationships with technical counterparts at customer's operational locations within the region.
• Develop a growing expertise of the mechanics and construction of absorbent hygiene products and other possible end-uses that utilize fluff pulp (i.e. wet wipes, concrete, etc.).
• Understand and articulate technical trends within fluff-related markets.
• Ascertain working knowledge of each customer's equipment.
• Develop working knowledge of all major types of fiberization production equipment.
• Manage the qualification process for new customer locations and/or new products.

 

 

• Achieve expert level of understanding regarding pulp properties, production processes, and the impact of both on end-use products.
• Provide training to customers and other key audiences.
• Contribute to the competitive benchmark initiative by securing product and reporting results. Be the regional authority on competitive product landscape.
• Communicate customer and market intelligence to key stakeholders.
• Identify new opportunities to improve the customer experience and IP's service offering.
• Lead/support specific customer initiatives to improve the customer experience and troubleshoot issues when necessary.
• Collaborate with the broader customer technical solutions team to share best practices.
• Identify internal opportunities to realize efficiencies in our business and decision processes.
• Perform statistical analysis as needed.
• Aggregate and communicate customer expectations vs IP performance.
• Support product development efforts with analysis to improve performance, positioning and the value proposition for new products.
• Meet with customers to identify needs and improve customer experience.
• Serve on customer account teams as needed.
• Provide key support at conferences and shows.

 

The CTS Manager is indispensable to delivering the Global Cellulose Fibers business' strategic priorities:

 

1. Quality: The CTS team is quality interface between IP and the customer. Key tasks include collecting desired specifications, monitoring conformance, entering claims, and claim resolution. This role represents the quality needs of the customer to the business and reports quality trends. This position frequently interacts with IP mill personnel and the sales organization to improve the customer experience and provide critical customer feedback.
2. Grow the Business: CTS plays an indispensable role in identifying opportunities and facilitating the integration of new customers. CTS will fill the technical gap required to start up new customer plants and is the technical face of IP to the regional marketplace. Given the long qualification periods that our customer's require when considering a new product, the CTS position becomes the most influential role in gaining customer acceptance and securing growth volume.
3. Upgrade Mix: There is a general increase in complexities, technical requirements and customer expectations beginning with local producers and moving up to regional and global market leaders in absorbent hygiene products. As IP targets select customers for growth,