Location: European Union; Experience: 10-15 Years
About The Role
We are seeking a Senior Technical Leader to establish and lead our Integral Technical Services function for Carbon Black in Inks, Paints & Coatings. This role will build an application-driven, customer-facing technical organization that accelerates product qualification and commercialization, solves complex formulation challenges, and translates market needs into clear R&D; and product development roadmaps. As the senior technical authority, you will represent the Voice of the Customer internally and collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, R&D;, Quality, Manufacturing, Regulatory and Product Stewardship teams globally. Fluency in German and English is mandatory for senior customer engagement and cross‑functional leadership.
Mandatory Requirements
- EU Citizen (Native / Eligible to work in the EU)
- Fluent in German and English
- Master’s or PhD in relevant chemistry/material science discipline
- 8+ years of carbon black experience in inks/coatings
- Strong expertise in dispersion science, rheology and color science
- Understanding of regulatory & product stewardship frameworks
- Willingness to travel across Europe
- Stable career history with minimum 2 years per company
Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Customer Interface
- Act as the global technical authority for carbon black in inks and coatings.
- Lead advanced troubleshooting including dispersion, flocculation, rheology, jetness, gloss, undertone, filterability and rub resistance.
- Design and execute Design of Experiments (DoE) for customer trials and scale‑up.
- Provide expert guidance on carbon black grade selection for specific applications.
Applications & Laboratory Excellence
- Define the global applications laboratory strategy and dispersion best practices.
- Standardize critical testing methods and performance benchmarks.
- Build structured application data systems to enable faster technical recommendations.
Product & Portfolio Enablement
- Translate Voice of Customer (VoC) insights into clear New Product Introduction (NPI) briefs and application specifications.
- Partner with R&D; teams on surface chemistry, structure optimization, and dispersibility improvements.
- Develop application maps and recommendation matrices across market segments.
Quality, Complaints & Manufacturing Interface
- Lead technical complaint resolution and root cause analysis.
- Strengthen alignment with manufacturing on critical‑to‑quality parameters.
- Drive improvements in product consistency, quality performance, and perceived product stability.
Market & Technical Branding
- Represent the company at industry conferences, customer technology events and technical forums.
- Develop technical papers, webinars and application tools to support Sales and Marketing.
Organization & Operations
- Build, mentor and lead a high‑performance global technical team.
- Establish KPIs, SLAs and operational frameworks for the technical services function.
- Manage application labs, budgets and technical investments.
Candidate Profile
- Master’s or PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, Polymer Science, or Chemical Engineering.
- 8-10+ years of experience working with carbon black in inks and/or coatings.
- Proven experience in customer‑facing technical leadership roles.
- Deep expertise in dispersion science, rheology, color science, and application testing.
- Strong knowledge of regulatory and product stewardship requirements.
- Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
Nice to Have
- Experience with conductive coatings
- EMI shielding materials
- Battery coatings
- Digital inkjet systems
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