Job Description
The Director of Research and Development - Category Innovation will have responsibility over product design and the innovation process, building strong connections with the business team, and research technical resource management. He/she will insure that these efforts are aligned with business unit, financial, strategic, organizational and performance goals. The role will have focused responsibility for Business-to-Consumer markets. The Consumer Products Segment consists of products engineered for Towel, Tissue and Table Top categories. Georgia Pacific features a number of leading brands in this segment such as Dixie®, Vanity Fair®, Angel Soft®, Quilted Northern® and Brawny®. The role will work closely with fellow executive team members to identify and develop products, processes and technologies that are required for Georgia Pacific to be the leader in their consumer markets. As such, he/she must build a coherent plan for research and ongoing improvements to Georgia Pacific’s current offerings, consistent with the Business Plan. The role will lead a research and development team primarily located in Atlanta, Georgia and Neenah, Wisconsin. He/She must build and nurture a high performance organization which teams across functions and business units. The role must have a strong external focus in order to best fulfill customer requirements and make technical success synonymous with commercial success. He/She must be market oriented and bring an outward focus to the organization. In addition, the Director, R&D - Category Innovation must be technically adept and capable of leading a product development as well as building strong relationships both internally and externally. He/she will develop and extend relationships, with external providers of both new and existing suppliers, and will work closely with key customer partners to develop new innovative solutions. As a leader of innovation and a core member of the Business Unit leadership team, the role must also have the business savvy and strategic perspective to contribute to the strategic direction of the business. Specific responsibilities include:
Actively collaborate with R&D team of chemists, scientists, and technicians to deliver top line and bottom line business results.
Establish technical credibility by meeting critical product development milestones.
Create a business-focused product development strategy focused on the business-to-business segment that supports the overall company strategy, with a supporting implementation plan.
Evaluate on-going development projects and determination of relevance/ROI balanced approach.
Institutionalize an effective project evaluation process which supports strategic and execution performance goals.
Demonstrate a track record driving concept to commercialization.
Build relationships with key internal and external partners as well as customers on technical development objectives; fostering a team culture within the internal product development group, which nurtures market savvy scientists.
Ensure that the product development function is fully integrated with the commercial and supply chain organizations.
Manage resources including people, budgets and facilities.
Understand the financial implications of new technology development processes.
Review and implement improvements to product development processes including stage gate, portfolio management and project prioritization in line with business unit strategies.
Engage with business leaders to understand their strategic long-range plans and assess product development’s role to the achievement of those plans.
Evaluate and assess the product development’s organization’s strategy, capabilities and structure.
Create a culture of innovation and coaching which motivates and inspires the organization to achieve technology and commercial results.
Desired Skills & Experience
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will have at least 10 years of research and development experience in consumer manufacturing including innovation, commercialization, process implementation, applications development, and marketing; paper industry experience preferred. He/She will have at least 5 years management experience leading a technical team of professionals.
The successful candidate will have a track record of strategic technology development, utilizing people effectively and managing tightly against performance commitments. Most importantly, he / she must have experience in driving technology from concept through development and production, and into the market in a strategic, economic, timely and rewarding manner.
EDUCATION
An undergraduate degree in Chemistry, Engineering or Science. An MBA or other Master’s degree or a Ph.D. is preferred.
Apply Now - Resume or CV with Job Post Title
Email: jobs@aarenconsultants.in
Posts
