Director of R & D and Quality

Role details

Description The Director of R&D and Quality is responsible for leading the company's research and development, technical service, process development, scale-up, and quality functions, with a primary emphasis on supporting polyurethane toll manufacturing customers. This position leads the successful transition of laboratory-developed products and processes into commercial manufacturing. Working closely with customers, Operations, Sales, Purchasing, and other internal stakeholders, the Director translates customer requirements into practical, scalable, and commercially viable solutions.

The role is accountable for ensuring that new products and processes meet customer specifications, perform consistently at production scale, and support the company's revenue growth, profitability, and long-term customer relationships. This position also provides leadership for quality assurance and quality control, ensuring that products, processes, and systems consistently meet established specifications, customer requirements, and applicable regulatory and quality standards.

Core job responsibilities include, but are not limited to: • Lead the transition of new and modified polyurethane formulations from laboratory development through pilot trials, process validation, and full-scale commercial production.

Partner directly with customers to understand technical requirements, product performance expectations, processing needs, and commercial objectives. • Translate customer concepts, specifications, and performance targets into laboratory development plans and commercially viable formulations. • Lead formulation development, raw material evaluations, performance testing, troubleshooting, and product optimization. • Identify opportunities to expand the company's technical capabilities, product offerings, and toll manufacturing business. • Establish project priorities based on customer commitments, business growth opportunities, technical feasibility, and expected financial returns. • Collaborate with Chemical Process Engineering and Operations to establish manufacturing procedures, process parameters, quality controls, and acceptance criteria for new products. • Troubleshoot scale-up challenges, investigate deviations between laboratory and production results, and implement corrective actions to achieve consistent product performance. • Identify and mitigate technical, operational, safety, and quality risks associated with new formulations and process changes. • Serve as a senior technical resource for polyurethane toll manufacturing customers, building strong working relationships with customer technical teams, chemists, engineers, and decision makers. • Lead technical discussions regarding new product development, formulation modifications, process requirements, product specifications, and manufacturing feasibility. • Provide leadership and oversight for the company's quality function, ensuring effective implementation and maintenance of the Quality Management System. • Monitor quality performance metrics and implement improvements that reduce scrap, rework, customer complaints, and manufacturing variability. • Manage both the Analytical and R&D laboratories. • Lead, develop, and mentor R&D, laboratory, process engineering, and quality personnel, establishing clear goals, priorities, performance expectations, and accountability. • Approve Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for new chemical raw materials. • Utilize strong, professional communication (oral and written), organizational, and leadership skills. • This position requires the ability to work in an environment with rapidly changing priorities.

Note: Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the core job responsibilities. Requirements MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS • Masters in Organic Chemistry with a minimum of ten years of related work experience. • Five to seven years of experience specific to chemical formulations, and strong understanding of polyurethanes. • Working knowledge of analytical lab devices, such as the Brookfield viscometer, FTIR, GPC, and titration equipment. • Demonstrated understanding and familiarity with applicable government regulations and general chemistry guidelines.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

In-depth working knowledge of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) chemistries, reactive hot melt chemistry, and raw material offsets. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS • Minimum of ten years of broad technical experience, including three to five years of professional experience in an industrial R&D environment. • Five to seven years of experience specific to chemical formulations, and strong understanding of polyurethanes. • Proficiency in chemistry mathematics, biology, and engineering principles, and chemical mixing technology. MANAGERIAL EXPERIENCE Five or more years’ experience in managing complex projects and managing and mentoring technical personnel.

These experiences should be gained in areas of R&D and should include a minimum of two years in R&D management. SAFETY TRAINING To perform this job successfully, an individual must complete and maintain Safety Training according to the Safety Training Matrix. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the core job responsibilities. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the core job responsibilities. Normal demands of an office work environment.

Note: This position requires applicants to successfully pass a pre-employment, as well as an annual pulmonary function test, (PFT). This position may expose the employee to isocyanates which are chemicals known to be respiratory irritants and sensitizers.

While TSE provides personal protective equipment, (PPE) to its employees working around such chemicals, the most current and best available medical data indicate that individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions including but not limited to asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and the like are at high risk of experiencing serious, and possibly fatal reactions to isocyanates, even at concentrations below the legally permissible exposure level (PEL). Therefore, due to this direct threat to their safety, TSE does not hire individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions to work in this position.

Likewise, TSE does not employ individuals who smoke substances of any kind, to work in this position. Teamwork is essential for TSE’s continued success, so Teamwork is an essential function of every employee’s job. Teamwork drives positive results every day. Teamwork promotes positive customer relations and results in exceeding the expectations of our customers. Teamwork benefits every employee since it grows our business and increases our sales. With Teamwork, we all succeed. Without it, we all suffer. Teamwork with co-workers in the same department is just the beginning. Teamwork with every other employee, department and division is the Teamwork that is required to succeed. WE ARE TSE.