Technical Service & Development Professional, Plastics Additives

Milliken & Company is a global manufacturing leader whose focus on materials science delivers tomorrow’s breakthroughs today. From industry-leading molecules to sustainable innovations, Milliken creates products that enhance people’s lives and deliver solutions for its customers and communities. Drawing on thousands of patents and a portfolio with applications across the textile, flooring, chemical and healthcare businesses, the company harnesses a shared sense of integrity and excellence to positively impact the world for generations. Discover more about Milliken’s curious minds and inspired solutions at Milliken.com and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

POSITION TITLE

Technical Service & Development Professional, Plastics Additives

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are looking to hire a Technical Service & Development Professional for our North America Plastics Additives team. The role is focused on supporting the entire Plastics Additives business in North America by:

• Working in partnership with the sales team to manage and develop relationships with our existing and potential customers.
• Being the focal point and owner for all technical matters related to customer work (including opportunities in the pipeline, support of existing sales, and general inquiries).
• Assisting the New Product Development team during the implementation phase of new products.

The position is located out of our Corporate Headquarters in Spartanburg, SC, and will report to the Technical Service & Development Manager.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support regional sales and marketing functions
• Be an active member of our Global technical community by sharing learnings and solving problems together
• Translate customer needs into problem statements
• Develop and supervise lab experiments to find potential solutions to identified problems
• Assist customers with product and process related questions and lead plant trials at their locations
• Help assess the customer value generated by our solutions and prioritize work with the sales team
• Work in partnership with the R&D team to deploy new offerings at customers
• Help to populate the innovation pipeline through market knowledge and insights
• Study and stay abreast of new thermoplastic polymers, additives, and applications
• Manage projects and present project status reports to upper management
• Study the effects of additives on a polymer’s chemical/physical properties and on processing
• Travel as projects and assignments dictate, up to 30% of time.

QUALIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• B.S or M.S degree in Engineering, Materials Science or Polymer Science (or another related technical field)
• 5 years of professional experience in a customer (external or internal) support role, preferably in polyolefins (production, compounding, conversion, or in additives/masterbatches for those)
• Ability to manage a variety of projects simultaneously
• High mechanical aptitude

The successful candidate will have the following strengths:

• Accountability, ownership, and drive to achieve deliverables, taking initiative to get things done
• Capability of influencing an internal or external audience through expertise in a subject
• Skill in statistical and data analysis (Excel, JMP, PowerBI or similar tools)
• Skill in presentation and written communication
• Critical thinking; capability to formulate hypotheses for problems and develop a work plan
• Ability to work independently and in a cross-functional team environment

Milliken is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age physical or mental disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran or military status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.