Director of Research and Development Job detail

Director of Product Development Job Description

Primary assignment: 

Product Leader for WestRock  – SBS, CNK, and Containerboard.  Manage local team of professionals in support of the innovation and business priorities as set by the SD, PD.  

Job requirements

•    Organizational Relationships

o    Monthly and period reports, annual objectives, and annual reviews are used to gauge progress.

o    Must interact with R&D, mill operations, TSQ, marketing, paper board sales, customers and senior management.  Also interaction with suppliers of materials and equipment. Requires ability to influence across the organization to implement highly complex products or processes successfully.

o    Effective written and oral communication.  Uses personal influence to achieve stated goals with broad cross functional teams.

•    Technical/professional:

o    Known as an expert in the paper making field; sought out to achieve high value products or process improvements.  

o    Ability to perform computations or analyses using basic statistical, financial, or logical concepts; or complex mathematical concepts.  Supply information as inputs into financial models/business cases for Stage Gate projects.

o    Ability to solve a variety of complex problems in the absence of technical guidelines or precedents. Work involves analysis and requires judgement to plan programs and projects that will resolve priority problems. Numerous decisions are involved, and the choices of action are many.

o    Project management knowledge.  Will be a stakeholder in the Stage Gate process and hold team accountable to deliver results within that framework.

•    Managerial:

o    Build leadership capacity in the Product Development team as well as sharing of knowledge and expertise within the broader WRK organization.

o    Must be able to direct and interact with engineers, managers, senior leadership, customers and operations personnel.

o    Ability to make decisions and/or final recommendations which routinely affect multiple departments, divisions, or the entire organization.

o    Ability to complete tasks with considerable latitude to decide what work will be required well in advance of the actual activities. Anticipation of needs is an important job element. Allocating existing resources to meet identified needs is a major responsibility.

o    Direct and support direct and indirect personnel to achieve innovation and operational goals while offering growth opportunities. 

o    Prioritize and guide Product Development team on incoming requests including acute mill issues versus long term project implementation.  Balancing of priorities is a key element along with consensus building with key stakeholders. 

•    Travel

o    Travel requirements will range from 40-80% of time depending assigned activities.

Roles & Responsibilities:  

•    Member of Innovation LT and participate with mill based priorities (BOS and MOS).  Support Coating Team and other related cross functional teams for WRK.  Primary point of contact for IPR and cross business collaboration for the packaging teams.

•    Manager for team of mill based personnel.  Growth and succession planning for team.  Overall delivery of high value priorities including Stage Gate projects, Productivity initiatives, and Quality support when required.  

•    Build leadership capacity in the Product Development team as well as sharing of knowledge and expertise within the broader Innovation/Mills organization.  

•    Working manager that will plan, execute and track field results on WestRock paperboard trials.  This includes activities at the mill level, coordinating with Customer Service, Production Planning and Supply Chain reps, attending trials at customer facilities, generating trial reports and associated follow-up.

•    Define value chains for WRK grades starting with board mill through converting & filling lines to  end use customer.

o    Partner with TSQ, converting facilities, WRK converting, financial reps and mill operations to help quantify inputs that should be considered in cost analysis. Assist with new grade justification as needed.

•    Identify and help prioritize:

o    Technical assistance needs of consumer & containerboard mills on new or existing grades.

o    Grade development requests & analysis.  

•    In house expert to be deployed in situations where it is warranted.  Ability to align resources appropriately for a stated outcome.

•    Project management

o    Ensure the PD teams are well trained on project management.

o    Participate and provide updates in monthly internal Technical Team meetings. 

o    Assist other TSQ/PD reps from all divisions impacted with WRK – includes SBS, CNK, CRB, Graphic Solutions and Container board, complaint investigation/follow-up, etc…

•    Commercial activities

o    Assist WestRock Sales teams in a Product Development/Technical role as needed/assigned.

o    Represent WRK as technical expert related to but not limited to

Training and Development:

•    Key T/D activities include:

o    Selected TAPPI courses & vendor training seminars 

o    Assisting/mentoring with experienced TSQ/PD reps on all grades produced by WRK – SBS, CNK, CRB, Containerboard.  Leverage within mill network to make the organization smarter.

o    Leading in selected training sessions within WestRock.

o    Visiting selected mills to lead understanding of grades, manufacturing processes, cost drivers and meeting key stakeholders.

o    Ongoing interface and joint commercial/technical visits with commercial leads. 

Working with financial team to teach key knowledge – manufacturing cost, P&L, project justification, etc. 

Experience:

•    10 years SBS Production Supervision and Customer Service Including

o    Aseptic production, customer audits and Food Safety audits

o    Plate production, customer audits and Food Safety audits

o    Printing SBS

o    Customer complaint resolution of the above

o    Raw Material compliance including FDA, BfR and China GB