R&D Director

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* Job Description:

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* ** BASIC FUNCTION*
* The Director of R&D is the senior innovation thought leader for the ITW Engine Repair Division. This individual will successfully create differentiated technology platforms and exhibit an understanding of emerging opportunities that can be turned into business solutions. They are a key member of the Leadership Team, working with cross-functional leads to identify, evaluate, develop and commercialize new products & technologies to generate organic growth.

** JOB DUTIES*
* + Support divisional Strategic Planning process as needed to include competitive analysis, product testing and claim development, market sizing & trend input and the evaluation and recommendation of business strategies and tactics.

+ Supervisory responsibility over R&D including new technology development and testing, qualification, manufacturing scale-up of product formulas, and continuous product differentiation/process improvement.

+ Creates a collaborative, learning & accountable culture, working closely with customers, and delivering speed, quality & value consistently.

+ Chemical Engineering Expertise

+ Ensures the R&D team has a deep understanding of chemical engineering principles, and how those principles can be applied to bring effective business solutions.

+ Formulation Expertise

+ Ensures the R&D team has a deep understanding of aqueous, anaerobic and silicone chemistries and how these can be applied to create new product performance attributes that bring effective solutions to the automotive market.

+ Manages product performance testing, qualification/validation & competitive comparisons.

+ Coordinates on product development with other divisions as appropriate.

+ New product development, exploring solutions that create a pipeline of differentiated new products.

+ Leverages partnership with Marketing Team regarding market knowledge, consumer & customer behavior, industry trends and advances in technology. Leads a team to explore, test, and translate knowledge into tangible solutions.

+ Directs research and product development efforts and ensures key milestones, project timelines and approved budgets are met.

+ Establishes and aligns business case with cross-functional Directors and VP/GM to deliver revenue & margin targets. Prioritizes by using the ITW Toolbox.

** QUALIFICATIONS*
* + 15 years professional business experience leading both technical and non-technical teams

+ Must have at least 5 years' experience directly managing professional managers & leaders within an organization size of $100M+ BS Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or applicable field required. MS preferred.

+ Familiarity with silicone, anaerobic and aqueous Chemistries and performance properties.  PhD in similar fields and/or advanced Chemistry is a plus.

+ Outstanding leadership skills, with demonstrated success in fostering a collaborative, accountable and solution-oriented environment.

+ Must be innovative, flexible, curious and have exhibited success by identifying and successfully translating market ideas into tangible business solutions.

+ Must have demonstrated success in understanding and prioritizing speed and urgency based on changing market conditions.

+ Must have proven new product launch experience, including familiarity with innovation funnel, stage gate product development processes, strong supplier relationships and effective product lifecycle planning.

** PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS*
* + Design, testing, validation process expertise

+ Proven portfolio management and project/process management experience

+ Strong business acumen and outstanding presentation skills

+ Experience in the Automotive industry

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* COMPETENCIES:

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* + Must have a solid strategic view that positions the business to win in markets

+ Results orientation-understands the importance of tangible results and embraces accountability

+ Develops and manages talent, including mentoring & collaborating

+ Leads effectively-understands how to use personal influence in building great teams, leading by example, establishing cross functional reporting and consensus and collaboration

+ Balances data, logic and intuition in decision-making

_Reasonable…