Director of Application Engineering

About this Position

At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow.

This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings.

Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.   

What you´ll do

• Lead the North America Application Engineering team, setting the strategic direction and execution plan to drive profitable growth across our business unit (ACM) and its portfolio.
• Partner closely with Sales, Product Development, Marketing, and Business Development teams to identify market opportunities and translate customer needs into differentiated technical solutions.
• Build, develop, and inspire a high-performing team of application engineers, fostering technical excellence, innovation, and a strong customer-centric culture.
• Drive customer engagement through technical consultation, application validation, troubleshooting, and support of key strategic accounts and growth initiatives.
• Establish and execute regional Application Engineering priorities that align with global ACM business objectives, technology roadmaps, and commercial strategies.
• Accelerate the development, codification, and transfer of application expertise across teams, enabling scalable deployment of best practices and technical knowledge.
• Lead technical support activities for new product introductions, customer trials, qualification programs, and commercialization efforts to maximize business impact.
• Manage departmental resources, budgets, laboratories, equipment, and project priorities while ensuring compliance with safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.

What makes you a good fit

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred. Higher education preferred (MBA, Master's, etc.)
• Proven leadership experience managing technical, application engineering, product development, or customer-facing engineering teams in a manufacturing, adhesives, specialty chemicals, or industrial environment.
• Strong ability to influence and collaborate across functions, effectively connecting technical expertise with commercial objectives and customer value creation.
• Demonstrated success leading complex projects, driving innovation, and translating market needs into scalable technical solutions.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage effectively from laboratory teams to executive leadership and key customers.

Some benefits of joining Henkel

• Health Insurance: affordable plans for medical, dental, vision and wellbeing starting on day 1 
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including sick, vacation, holiday and volunteer time, flexible & hybrid work policies (depending on role), and vacation buy / sell program 
• Financial: 401k matching, employee share plan with voluntary investment and Henkel matching shares, annual performance bonus, service awards and student loan reimbursement 
• Family Support: 12-week gender neutral parental leave (up to 20 weeks for parents giving birth), fertility support, adoption & surrogacy reimbursement, discounted child and elderly care, and scholarships 
• Career Growth: diverse national and international growth opportunities, access to thousands of skills development courses, and tuition reimbursement

The salary range for this role is $120,000.00 and $190,000.00. This range represents the good‑faith minimum and maximum wages the Company reasonably expects to offer for this role at the time of posting. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for incentive pay or other forms of compensation, as applicable.  The Company also offers a comprehensive benefits package as described above. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate’s skills, experience, education, training, and work location. This posting is intended to comply with all applicable state and local pay transparency laws.

Henkel does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Henkel property and therefore, Henkel will not pay a fee