Director of Technology

Purpose of the Job

The Director of Technology will lead the development, evaluation and acquisition of products and technologies to ensure the competitive and innovative position of the Master Builders Solutions (MBS) organization in the Americas.  This includes management of personnel to develop products in line with the requests of the Sales and Marketing departments, as guided by the Stage-Gate process and the Segment Portfolio Teams.  This also includes ensuring appropriate protection of know how via proprietary approaches or via securing intellectual property rights.  The job is also tasked with developing Quality Control parameters and Product Manufacturing Requirements to ensure that high quality products and technologies can be produced on a consistent and repeatable basis at our plants and/or tolling partners. 

Another purpose of the job is to evaluate new and competitive technologies.  This includes making proposals on acquiring third party technologies, licensing them or establishing partnerships via joint developments or other approaches to leverage this know-how to the company’s benefit.  It is also expected that the candidate for this role will maintain a current overview on state of art and competitive technologies to be an internal resource on these matters.

Additionally, the role will be responsible for the laboratory Technical Services team, including Engineering and Analytical Services, to ensure efficient and timely responses to requests from the field and the product development team.  Development and maintenance of an effective Work Order system will be a requirement to provide a customer service experience commensurate with the MBS brand.

Requirements

Knowledge and Experience

·         Ph.D. in a scientific or engineering field desired; B.S. at minimum

·         10+ years of experience working in the construction sector, ideally in the admixture portion of the construction chemicals sector

·         7+ years of experience managing a technical team

·         Good understanding of our product portfolio, key performance attributes, applications and chemistries

·         Previous experience dealing with the interface between sales, marketing and manufacturing, with particular focus on customer experience

·         Previous experience in a customer relationship business, where timeliness of delivery and intimacy with the customer is key to success

·         General knowledge of the concrete industry, including production methods, materials, sales channels, and typical customers

·         Experience managing financials including P&L statements, expense control, budgeting, etc.

·         Strong presentation skills with the ability to make effective presentations to all levels both internally and externally

·         Understanding of the construction chemicals business and the value drivers within the construction industry preferred

·         Participation in industry associations, such as ACI and ASTM, as a committee member

Principal Responsibilities

·         Ensure a safe working environment for the entire team and promote safe work in the lab, in the office, and at home

·         Lead the function to drive business success, as measured by the performance of the products and solutions delivered, speed of execution to delivery, successful market acceptance, meeting cost objectives, and other appropriate metrics

·         Ensure high quality data delivery and credibility of the lab, both internally and externally.

·         Participate in industry forums and associations to understand trends, promote the MBS brand and innovation strength, shape future methods and solutions, etc.

·         Establish strong and effective communications lines with all the key stakeholders, namely sales managers, marketing, operations, and global counter-parts

·         Drive creative solutions for new products and solutions, as well as laboratory methods and organizational efficiencies

·         Pursue and understand new technologies and solutions, market technology trends, and generally have a finger on the pulse of the technological aspects of the industry

·         Serve as a member of the MBS Extended Leadership Team, which sets the direction of the business and supports profitable growth

·         Participate in the RDMC and related global technology forums

·         Support the yearly budgeting process and the strategic direction of the business

·         Demonstrate strong leadership skills, including hiring evaluations, time management, conflict resolution and performance management

·         Mentor staff towards leadership positions and support succession planning for this function

Benefits

Safety

·         Promote and provide a safe working environment for all employees.

·         Ensure all employees adhere to proper use of PPE requirements.

·         Ensure all employees adhere to company physical/medical programs.

·         Practice safe driving techniques and adhere to all company car policies and procedures.

·         Report all accidents and incidents into the accident reporting database in a timely manner.

Technical Competencies                        

·         Product technology                                                                      

·         Customer knowledge                                                       

·         Sensitivity and risk analysis                     

·         Market/Industry trends                             

·         Presentation skills                                                                                                            

·         Competitor knowledge

·         Internal factor analysis                                                     

·         Legal considerations                                            

Global Competencies                                          

·         Business and financial acumen                                      

·         Personal and team leadership                                         

·         Analytical thinking

·         Entrepreneurial acting/initiative                                       

·         Organizational awareness                                                           

·         Strategic thinking                                                             

·         Communication and interpersonal understanding                       

·         Coaching/Leading employees to success

Other Considerations

Travel - Must be able to travel to multiple countries. 25% travel. 

Language – Basic understanding of German and Spanish ideal