The Applications Development Specialist is responsible for assessing customer needs and providing technical solutions in support of the Industrial Starch product line to maximize value creation. This will be accomplished by building strong relationships with customers and understanding their processes and technologies to provide enhanced solutions. This position will include customer technical support, applications development, and new product development projects with a focus on lab development, product commercialization and customer application. This position requires <20% travel
Tate & Lyle is a leading supplier of Industrial Ingredients to customers across a broad range of application areas such as paper, adhesives, building materials, and many other specialty applications. We work in partnership with our customers, to understand each unique process and application, then bring together our expert resources to formulate and develop the right solutions. This collaborative and comprehensive approach is how we’ve become one of the world’s leading industrial starch companies. The Applications Development Specialist is a critical role within the Industrial team. Customer focused, innovative, collaborative, results oriented individuals in this role directly contribute to the achievements of the product line and the strong reputation Tate & Lyle holds throughout the industry. This role is responsible for supporting growth of Tate & Lyle ingredients by driving development and innovative formulation within industrial market segments.
Main Accountabilities and Responsibilities of this role:
· Drives customer needs assessments with cross-functional team to identify technical needs and opportunities. Develops and delivers appropriate data and technical information. Supports customer interactions through deep category expertise and ingredient performance knowledge. Ensures solutions are customer-relevant and clearly communicate value.
· Represents the team during technical customer interactions, establishing and building relationships with customer contacts, gathering key feedback and input in order to respond to customer needs with appropriate timeliness and with the most effective solution.
· Supports new business development opportunities by providing product or technology feasibility, market information, risk assessments, and performance insights. Understands established and competitive technologies, ingredients, and solutions to ensure shared commercial success. Creates compelling value propositions.
· Leverages T&L capabilities and broad-range of products and expertise to explore and develop solutions. Recognizes the issues that must be resolved and can be innovative on multiple solutions paths to drive to a mutually beneficial solution.
· Effectively questions and explores concepts, sources and information to better understand customer needs and how to apply solutions. Partners with T&L sales and technical service colleagues and the customer to explore and identify the most mutually viable solution that meets the customer’s needs. Adapts and delivers compelling value propositions to expand sales and drive value.
· Plan, Organize, Conduct, and Support customer trials, lab work, and technical projects to support and fulfil commercial strategies, including technical reports and data analysis; coordinating with customers and field teams as needed. Clearly and logically plans projects, designs and performs experiments that are consistent with best practice research methods. Performs complex laboratory procedures and projects with minimal supervision.
· Provide thorough written documentation of projects and methods. Develops and communicates compelling technical insights to secure customer commitment to engage in new solutions.
· Develops a broad industry network, identifies and builds key relationships both internally and externally who are critical to solving customer needs. Advocates the sharing of insights and technical knowledge with cross-functional stakeholders to drive continuous improvement and share the voice of the customer.
· Accountable for delivering to the high level of standards and quality set within T&L and expected by our customers and partners. Develops and maintains a strong working knowledge of T&L’s products and customers
BS in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, or related field
Minimum of 5 years hands-on experience in technical service, applications development, product development, materials science, solution formulation, manufacturing, or process engineering; specifically experience in paper coatings and/or paper packaging
Knowledge specific to the position:
- Knowledge and experience in the Starch Industry preferred
- Carbohydrate chemistry, polymer science, etc.
- Knowledge in application fields where starches are or could be used
- Experience in paper coatings and/or paper based packaging
Skills (Key technical/functional skills required):
- Product/materials formulation and development
- Strong analytical thought and demonstrated hands-on lab/pilot development skills
- Test method development and execution
- Computational and Engineering Math
- Demonstrated problem solving skills
- Strong project planning, prioritization and execution skills
- Strong collaboration skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to comfortably communicate with all levels of internal and external organizations
- Technical and Business writing
- Curiosity, open-mindedness
- Data analysis
- Development and research processes
- Microsoft – Word, Excel, PowerPoint
