Market Development & Technical Services Manager

INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT & HR EXPERTS ACROSS THE PLASTICS, PACKAGING, SPECIALITY CHEMICALS, LIFE SCIENCES, BIOPOLYMER, FOOD ADDITIVES & INGREDIENTS, ENERGY AND RECYCLING SECTORS SINCE 1975.

 

Market Development & Technical Services Manager North America
Based in US

Job ref: EG/65227

 

Client Overview:

The National Market Development & Technical Services Manager leads the development and execution of the Company’s market-development and technical-service strategy across the United States. This position is responsible for driving strategic market growth, identifying new markets and applications, advancing customer and product-development opportunities, and strengthening the Company’s position in the high-performance polymers and engineered plastics markets.
The role leads and develops the Marketing and Technical Service teams and establishes priorities for market development, application development, and technical customer support. Working closely with the Sales, Customer Service, R&D, and other global teams, this position helps convert market and customer opportunities into profitable, sustainable business growth.

 

Responsibilities and Activities:

· Develop and execute national commercial and market-development strategies that support profitable, sustainable growth and align with Company and global business objectives.
· Lead, coach, and develop the Marketing and Technical Service team; establish objectives, priorities, performance expectations, and development plans.
· Drive market-development performance across U.S. markets, products, applications, and customer segments, including market penetration, new business development, application growth, sample conversion, product mix, and other strategic growth objectives.
· Partner with the National Sales Manager to align market-development activities with sales objectives and support achievement of volume, margin, and profitability goals.
· Establish national market, application-development, customer-development, and technical-service priorities and allocate team resources to opportunities with the greatest strategic and financial value.
· Collaborate with and respond promptly to global business and marketing leaders by aligning U.S. priorities with global strategy, coordinating cross-regional initiatives, and providing timely market insights, business updates, performance data, and recommendations to support global decision-making.
· Identify and develop new markets, customers, applications, and business opportunities for high-performance polymers, nylon compounds, engineered plastics, and related materials.
· Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers, customer engineering and development groups, purchasing organizations, and other commercial and technical decision-makers.
· Guide direct reports in developing and executing customer, market, and application-development plans and establishing measurable KPIs for market penetration, sample conversion, new business starts, and commercialization.
· Oversee the market-development pipeline, including customer inquiries, samples, material approvals, qualifications, trials, development projects, and commercialization activities, and monitor effectiveness and results.
· Monitor and analyze market conditions, competitive activity, customer requirements, industry trends, technology developments, and application data to identify opportunities and support strategic business decisions.
· Translate market intelligence and customer needs into recommendations for product development, product positioning, technical priorities, capacity planning, and market strategy.
· Lead and prioritize Technical Service and R&D resources supporting material development, testing, customer trials, qualifications, troubleshooting, technical presentations, and application development.
· Develop market, competitiveness, and profitability insights to support pricing and product-portfolio strategies in partnership with the National Sales Manager and Company leadership.
· Provide market intelligence, development pipelines, and new-business projections to support sales and demand forecasting in collaboration with the National Sales Manager.
· Lead regular market, customer-development, pipeline, and performance reviews with direct reports and Company leadership and ensure activities and opportunities are accurately documented in the Company’s CRM and applicable business systems.
· Participate in global marketing and commercial initiatives by sharing U.S. customer, application, market, competitive, and technical information and coordinating activities with global colleagues.
· Represent the Company in strategic customer meetings, technical presentations, trade shows, conferences, industry events, and other market-development activities.
· Ensure activities comply with Company policies, delegated authority, applicable laws and regulations, contractual requirements, and the Code of Business Conduct, while protecting confidential Company and customer information.
· Provide timely market intelligence, business updates, performance results, and recommendations for Company leadership.

 

Technical Skills, Competences, Knowledge of Tools & Systems:

· Commercial strategy and strategic market development within technical manufacturing environments.
· High-performance polymers, nylon compounds, engineered plastics, and technical material applications.
· Strategic account management, technical/application-based selling, and customer relationship development.
· Customer material-development, testing, approval, qualification, and commercialization processes.
· Pricing strategy, commercial negotiation, margin management, profitability analysis, forecasting, and budgeting.
· Market segmentation, competitive analysis, market intelligence, opportunity assessment, and commercial KPI development.
· Leadership and development of commercial and technical professionals.
· Strong business and financial acumen; analytical problem-solving and sound decision-making.
· Strong leadership, negotiation, presentation, written/verbal communication, listening, and relationship-building skills.
· Ability to manage multiple priorities, lead cross-functional initiatives, and influence internal and external stakeholders.
· Proficiency with CRM systems and Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; ability to work effectively with global teams across functions and time zones.

 

Person Specification:

· Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, chemistry, polymer science, materials science, marketing, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
· Minimum seven (7) years of progressive commercial, marketing, sales, business-development, account-management, technical-service, or related experience within engineered plastics, polymers, chemicals, or another technical manufacturing environment.
· Demonstrated experience with engineered plastic applications and industrial markets and with developing and executing strategic market-growth, customer-development, or commercial plans.
· Previous leadership experience managing and developing professional commercial and/or technical employees.
· Experience managing strategic customer relationships and interacting with customer engineering, development, purchasing, and management organizations.
· Experience with technical product development, material approval, qualification, or commercialization processes.
· Strong understanding of pricing, profitability, forecasting, budgeting, and commercial performance.
· Ability to travel extensively throughout the United States and internationally as business needs require.
· Proficiency in written and spoken English.

 

Preferred:

· Direct experience with nylon/polyamide compounds, high-performance polymers, engineered plastics, or related materials.
· Experience in automotive, electrical/electronics, general industry, or other engineered-plastics markets.
· Experience managing national or multi-regional customer portfolios.
· Knowledge of ISO, IATF, automotive, quality, sustainability, and other applicable industry requirements.
· Experience with CRM, SAP, business-intelligence, forecasting, and other enterprise systems.
· Advanced degree in business, engineering, polymer science, materials science, or a related discipline

 

Please understand that due to the expected high number of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted directly

 

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the country where the role is located. Evidence of the right to work may be required during the recruitment process
For reasons of readability, gender-specific language has been simplified. All references to individuals apply equally to people of all genders.

 

To apply please contact Ellie Guest
Ellie.guest@listgrove.com
0044 (0) 1789 207070

CONNECT WITH ME ON LINKEDIN.

 

Why select Listgrove?
· Five Decades of Market Intelligence
· Unrivalled Industry Networks
· Recognised International brand
· HR Qualified Professionals

To hear from our clients on how we have supported their search for talent and HR needs, please visit Listgrove’s Case Studies page.

 

Throughout 2026 & 2027 you can meet with Listgrove at the following exhibitions:
Interpack, France Innovation Plasturgie, Interplas UK, Plast Milan, Fakuma, ArabPlast, NPE 2027.

 

Performance through People.

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