Associate Director of Research & Development

at  NIC Industries

Job Title: Assistant Director - Research & Development
Classification: Exempt
Reports To: Director of Research & Development
Location: NIC Industries, Inc., White City, OR (must be willing to relocate)

WHO WE ARE:

Founded over 35 years ago, NIC Industries Inc.’s vision was to manufacture coating products that would truly have a global impact. NIC now manufactures industry-leading coatings that are distributed and sold in nearly 90 countries around the world. Cerakote, Prismatic Powders, and Performance Materials operate as separate divisions of NIC which has grown to be included in the top 25 largest paint and coating manufacturers in the United States. NIC’s customer base is as wide as its geographical impact, with applications in technology, aerospace, sporting goods, and the automotive industry.

GENERAL SUMMARY:

The Assistant Director - Research and Development directs and implements the organization’s research and development functions, including, policies, objectives, and initiatives, ensuring that research and development activities advance NIC’s competitive position and profitability. The Assistant Director collaborates with other top management, identifies and presents opportunities, and executes market-driven innovations that align with NIC’s focused vision.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Ph.D. or Master’s Degree in Chemistry.
• Successful track record of new product, new application, or new process development.
• Proven success in developing products from concept to commercialization.
• Proven track record of at least 10 years leading an R&D team including scientists and laboratory personnel with differing education and experience levels.
• Demonstrated background in polymer chemistry/science, preferably including education/practical experience with polymer solutions and sophisticated polymer/solvent, adhesive, or coating interactions.
• Capability to conceive and recognize inventions and protect them with trade secret vs. patent application decisions.
• Prior experience working in a fast-paced, high-performance, high-expectation, high-accountability operating culture is desirable.

CAPABILITIES:

• Results Orientation / Personal Accountability: The Assistant Director, R&D will place a premium value on results, not activity or effort, with a bias for driving breakthrough performance. The Assistant Director, R&D will reflect a high degree of personal accountability, ownership and integrity.
• Business Acumen: An integral member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Assistant Director, R&D will be expected to weigh in on a wide range of business issues. Having a solid understanding of the company’s business model, customer base, value proposition, business processes, and financial statements.
• Analytical Skills: The Assistant Director, R&D will be especially skilled in compiling, analyzing and using appropriate data on customers, competitors, and markets to gain high-value, strategic insights and to otherwise support NIC’s business strategy development.
• Technical Aptitude: The Assistant Director, R&D will have the ability to quickly understand technical product features, customer application requirements, process capabilities and other technical matters necessary to develop and champion “winning” solutions to customer issues.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: The Assistant Director, R&D will have well-honed cross-functional leadership capabilities and a collaborative communications style that promotes trust, confidence, alignment, and support across other functional groups.
• Sense of Urgency / Bias for Action: The Assistant Director, R&D will be self-directed with an inherent ability to get things done, both personally and through the effort of others. The successful candidate will exhibit a strong sense of urgency and bias for action, as opposed to over-thinking or overplanning. Done intelligently, not recklessly, this action orientation, coupled with an ability to quickly adjust course as needed, drives agility.

• Lead and develop a highly innovative team of world class managers, scientists, and engineers.
• Instill a culture of out-of-the-box innovation through hands-on chemistry and real-world experimentation, utilizing scientific methodology.
• Develop and implement NIC’s overall Product Development strategy, aligning it with NIC’s focused vision and market-driven opportunities.
• Critically assess and provide constructive feedback on utilizing R&D and Polymer Plant resources to develop new products, product improvements and or entering new markets with existing NIC technology.
• Identify and report on opportunities for market-driven innovation that aligns with NIC’s focused vision.
• Direct both human and capital resources to achieve NIC’s Product Development strategy.
• Provide regular reporting to Executive Team on NIC’s Product Development strategy, including but not limited, to timeline, budget, viability, and competitive landscape.
• Take a leading role in a collaborative, cross-departmental go-to-market process involving the following areas:
• Purchasing
• Productio