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COMPANY OVERVIEW:
Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets specialty ingredients that improve and enhance the health and well-being of life on the planet, providing state-of-the-art solutions and the finest quality products for a range of industries worldwide. Our corporate headquarters is located in Montvale, New Jersey and we have a broad network of sales offices, manufacturing sites, and R&D centers, primarily located in the US and Europe. Founded in 1967, Balchem is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ – “BCPC”) with annual revenues over $900 million and a market cap exceeding $4.0 billion. The company consists of three business segments: Human Nutrition & Health; Animal Nutrition & Health; and Specialty Products. Balchem employs over 1,400 people worldwide who are engaged in diverse activities, committed to developing the company into global market leadership positions. To learn more about our dynamic, stable and growing company, visit www.balchem.com.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The R&D Manager – Particle Engineering Innovation is a member of the R&D Group based in New Hampton, NY / Montvale, NJ facilities. The Manager of Particle Engineering Innovation will be responsible for leading people and projects to develop groundbreaking microencapsulated materials for Balchem various markets, with a primary focus on the Animal Health and Nutrition market. Reporting to the Senior Director of R&D, the Manager will play a pivotal role in driving the successful ideation, development, and commercialization of new products. These projects will present significant technical challenges and will require excellent scientific and engineering creativity and problem-solving ability to successfully execute. The projects in the portfolio demand both product and process development skills. The Manager is expected to be hands-on and significantly contribute to project management and execution. This position will have strong working relationships with the Commercial, Operations, Purchasing and Quality organizations. This role is strategic in nature, the Manager will have access to the company’s most important technology and will be expected to drive that technology forward to access new high-valued customers and applications. The position is highly visible, and the Manger will present their work to the highest levels of the corporation.
The working environment will include office, laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments, and may require up to 10% business travel.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
- Responsible for the safety of all R&D personnel in the group as well as in the associated R&D laboratory/pilot plants. Functions as the safety champion for the group and promotes a culture of safety. Holds self and team accountable for safe behaviors and the goal of zero injuries. Ensure that lab work is conducted in a safe manner via hazard reviews, SOPs, and appropriate PPE.
- Leads and manages a small team of scientists and engineers that execute new product development projects focused on microencapsulated materials / engineered particles. Responsible for performance management and career development for the team members.
- Responsible for the execution and commercialization of a portfolio of new product development projects. These projects will have significant challenging technical objectives that will require the Manager and team to push the boundaries of our microencapsulation technology. Successful execution requires product development, process development and scale up.
- Be a subject matter expert on microencapsulation technology, providing technical guidance and leadership on all facets of development and commercialization including formulation, product design, process development, process capability, and specification development.
- Responsible for bringing new ideas to the organization. Consistently monitors the IP landscape, competitor technical activity, and advances in processing technology. Synthesizes this information to develop creative ideas that will allow Balchem to generate value for customers and stakeholders.
- Performs Project Manager role on projects in the portfolio – including all scheduling, communication, risk and issue management, budgeting, and stakeholder management and is expected to take accountability for projects and drive them forward. Uses Balchem’s portfolio management tools to document and control projects. Follows Balchem innovation work processes.
- Periodically updates upper management, including the CEO, on project progress.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Commercial, Operations, Purchasing, and Quality, to ensure seamless project execution and successful product launches.
- Represent the company's interests and technology advancements to high-level stakeholders, driving the development of new customers and applications.
- Travel required to Balchem R&D and manufacturing locations, and supplier/partner facilities.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Master’s degree in chemical engineering, Chemistry or Material Science with 10+ years of professional experience in product/process development or a Ph.D. in the same fields with 5+ years of professional experience in a product/process development role. Preferred industrial experience in the chemical, specialty chemical, food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or animal/plant nutrition industries.
- Proven ability to develop new products and processes.
- Proven ability to be a safety champion in a process-related industry.
- Deep understanding of process development in chemical or related industries.
- Proven ability to work in a matrix organization and motivate individuals in this context.
- Proven project management experience and demonstrated ability to lead large, complex, multifunctional projects.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present project progress to high-level management.
- Proven track record of ideation and creative problem solving - can develop ideas that help advance the organization’s ability to generate value for our customers.
- Excellent scientific/engineering communication skills – can relate complex concepts and ideas to a wide range of individuals in various organizational roles.
- Ability to apply prior learning or scientific principles to new situations. Must be a quick learner with learning agility, ability to work on a wide range of projects.
- Knowledge and experience in particle engineering/microencapsulation is a plus.
- Ability to innovate in regulated markets like food, nutraceutical, or pharma markets – understanding of how the regulatory environment impacts new product development is preferred.
- Experience in filing intellectual property is a plus.
The expected salary for this position is $160,000 - $175,000 a year.
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Balchem is committed to a workplace culture that values and promotes diversity, inclusion, equal employment opportunities, and a work environment free of harassment and hostility.
