Technical Director (Color Compounding)

The Client

Our client is a US headquartered company that specializes in color and additive compounding of a select group of polymers including polycarbonate, acrylic, ABS, PC/ABS, nylon, PBT, PET, acetal, thermoplastic elastomers and specialty high temperature resins. Its product line of proprietary engineering resins offers the customers the best possible combination of performance, price and quality. Its products are available for many major thermoplastic resin groups and incorporate its expertise in flame retardant technology and advanced UV stabilization. Its compounds are used primarily in engineering applications for a variety of industries, such as electronics, medical, business machinery, automotive and telecommunications. Its compounding operations are supported by a state-of-the-art laboratory and it performs virtually every mechanical property test in-house. It is able to support most major agency approvals including UL, CSA, FDA, RoHS and NSF. Our Client has no minimum order sizes and its typical lead time is two weeks or less. It helps its clients develop products, expertly match the color and then compound the resin to client's quality specifications. Since 1990, it has experienced a steady growth. To serve customers in the China market the company has established a WOFE in South Guangdong with a modern 8000 sq. meter facility with state of the art equipment. Committed to being the leader in China for its market niches, it is recruiting in order to have a world class technical team.

Title: Technical Director (Color Compounding)
Job Code: Maximatech/TD/CN/0407/LS
Based at: South China

Job purpose: To provide strong technical expertise covering formulation, process, testing and performance issues to ensure effective product and technology transfer from the USA, new customer and product development as well as technical/manufacturing/QA process controls.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities:

• Provide overall technical leadership to the team in China including Product Development and Customization, Process Improvements, Competitive Analysis, Testing, Innovation, Collaborative Product/Process Development, New Technologies and Materials, and Technical Support
• Work closely with and support the Sales and Marketing teams re technical discussions with and support to potential customers.
• Support all new product introduction (NPI) activities as required in a proactive way
• Attend training in the USA in order to develop relevant knowledge and skills
• Participate in the development of custom material specifications/solutions for customer needs. Provide hands-on analytical support and testing to solve internal or customer performance issues.
• Support manufacturing with all technical and process development needs in order to ensure cost effective production, superior quality and on-time deliveries. Understand Performance and Processing gaps with existing technologies and initiate programs to eliminate such gaps.
• Personality: Self-driven, results-oriented with a positive outlook, and a clear focus on high quality, ethics and business profit. A natural forward planner who critically assesses own performance. Mature, credible, and comfortable in dealing with senior company executives as well as enjoy working with USA based counterparts.
• Reliable, tolerant, and determined. Empathic communicator, able to see things from the other person's point of view. Well presented and businesslike. Sufficiently mobile and flexible to travel. Keen for new experience, responsibility and accountability. Able to get on with others and be a team-player. Proactive, competent and professional individual who delivers superior results.
• Personal Situation: Must be mature and domestically secure. Able to spend multiple nights away per month without upsetting domestic situation. Able to commute reliably, frequently and effectively to office base. Eager to work extended hours when required.

Specific Job Skills:

• Strong hands-on experience with Color Compounding, blending and extrusion processes as well plastics injection molding.
• Strong knowledge of the compounding and color industry, blending processes and ability to assist in selling high end solutions is critical to ensure effective product customization in highly engineered applications.
• Able to communicate effectively and motivate via written and verbal media in English and (for China) Mandarin. Understands intimately the principles of plastics processing and the related technical disciplines. Experienced and effective trainer.
• Must have knowledge of the plastics industry in China, knowledge of customers as well as Western levels of quality and related processes.
• Experienced with and able to work with end users and manufacturers.
• Computer skills: Must be adept in use of MS Office, particularly Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and ideally Access or similar database to basic level, and design software such as CAD, Pro-E, etc. Internet and email.
• Literacy: Must be a very competent writer of business letters, quotations and proposals.
• Excellent English speaking/writing/comprehension skills.
• Business Skills: Must be an excellent face-to-face and telephone communicator. Ability to work with internal and external, multi-site teams.
• Management Ability: Experienced and effective in Program/Project Management as well as recruiting and managing local support staff. People-management and Problem-Solving skills.
• Education: PhD/Masters/Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering or Polymer Chemistry from an accredited local or overseas University.
• Experience: Minimum 7-10 years experience with multi-national company in color based highly engineered products environment. Exposure to Product Development, Manufacturing, Quality and Technical Support functions. Strong knowledge of plastic materials, additives and colorants as well as molding process.

Please apply, with a detailed resume, to: maximatech@maxima.com.sg

For other exciting opportunities worldwide, please visit our website at www.maxima.com.sg.