Global Technical Director, Wallcovering

Summary

The Global Technical Director plays a critical role in shaping the future of wallcovering innovation at Versa Designed Surfaces. As the company’s senior technical leader, this position is responsible for advancing product innovation, sustainability initiatives, manufacturing capabilities, and technical excellence across a global portfolio of wallcovering solutions.

Job Summary

The Global Technical Director, Wallcovering serves as the company’s senior technical authority across all sites and regions. Working in close partnership with the Research & Development/Technical Director and Product Management, this individual drives the development of innovative products and processes by determining, applying and leading the company’s worldwide technical strategy across product development, production processes, quality systems, compliance, and sustainability for all wallcovering products. Specifically, the role entails providing functional leadership to R&D, product engineering, product assurance/testing, technical services, and quality systems, while supporting production process improvements and representing the company’s technical capabilities to internal stakeholders and external customers worldwide, all in support of achieving global growth objectives and premium brand positioning.

Focus Areas

• Developing and maintaining the global technical strategy and multi-year technology roadmap by aligning product innovation, materials science, and process capability with the company’s commercial objectives.
• Ensuring that the company’s commitment to innovation produces tangible outcomes that position the company as a recognized technical leader in the industry.
• Focusing on developing innovative products and processes by determining, applying, and leading the company’s worldwide technical strategy across product development, production processes, quality systems, compliance, and sustainability for all wallcovering products.
• Driving innovation in gravure and digitally printed, sustainable, performance, and decorative wallcovering solutions.
• Overseeing technical validation of new products, materials, and manufacturing processes.
• Ensuring and maintaining the use of a suitable quality assurance system, product testing protocols, and compliance with applicable regulatory, environmental, fire, and performance standards globally.
• Establishing, documenting, and maintaining technical specifications for the company’s global product line.
• Identifying, managing, and maintaining all certifications relating to environmental and technical performance, including Environmental Product Declarations, Health Product Declarations, and carbon-neutral compliance.
• Identifying and leading sustainability initiatives including material selection, recyclability, VOC reduction, environmental compliance, and lifecycle improvements to reduce the company’s carbon footprint.
• Supporting Product, Marketing, and Sales leaders by providing technical, environmental, and sustainability expertise to customers.
• Interacting regularly with company personnel, including Executive Management, to communicate status, outlook, and challenges with all areas of responsibility.

Qualification Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Engineering or a Materials Science discipline.
• Experience with materials science, including polymer films or natural substrates, coatings, adhesives, and inks.
• Ability to communicate to the management team on process feasibility, resourcing, financial planning, and project execution.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to design, communicate, and execute project plans within an aggressive timeline.
• Ability to travel, including occasional international, up to 30%.