Product Manager - Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers

About the role

The Product Manager – Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers is responsible for driving the strategic direction, commercial success, and lifecycle management of IP Corporation's portfolio of formulated vinyl ester resins and other specialty polymer products.

Responsibilities

• Manage the full lifecycle of assigned vinyl ester and specialty polymer product lines, from concept and development through commercialization, optimization, and product retirement.
• Develop and execute product roadmaps aligned with business strategy, customer needs, manufacturing capabilities, and market trends.
• Translate customer application requirements into actionable product development priorities.
• Partner with cross-functional teams throughout development and commercialization to support new product introductions.
• Support new product introductions by partnering with cross-functional teams throughout development and commercialization.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive activity, feedstock markets, and emerging technologies to identify growth opportunities and mitigate business risks.
• Develop a deep understanding of customer applications, processing requirements, regulatory considerations, and performance expectations.
• Support pricing strategies that balance customer value, market competitiveness, raw material costs, and profitability.
• Provide forecasting input and actively participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities.
• Develop business cases supporting new product development, reformulation initiatives, and capital investments.
• Recommend actions to improve product profitability and long-term portfolio performance.
• Collaborate closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and Commercial teams to execute product strategies.
• Maintain strong technical knowledge of resin chemistry, formulated systems, additives, fillers, pigments, inhibitors, and curing technologies.
• Support product stewardship initiatives by ensuring compliance with applicable environmental, regulatory, and safety requirements.
• Lead or support reformulation efforts driven by regulatory changes, raw material availability, supply disruptions, or cost reduction initiatives.
• Partner with laboratory and technical service teams to support product validation, troubleshooting, and field performance improvements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field.
• Five (5) or more years of experience within specialty chemicals, formulated products, resin manufacturing, or related industries.
• Experience in Product Management, Technical Marketing, Applications Engineering, or another customer-facing technical/commercial role.
• Strong understanding of product lifecycle management and commercial product strategy.
• Knowledge of resin markets, application requirements, and value-based selling principles.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
• Excellent analytical, communication, organizational, and project management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel and PowerPoint.

Preferred

• Experience working with vinyl ester, unsaturated polyester (UPR), epoxy, gel coat, or other thermoset resin formulations.
• Experience with pricing strategies, feedstock volatility, and raw material sourcing within specialty chemical markets.
• Product line P&L or margin management experience.
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations or global product portfolios.
• MBA or advanced technical degree.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Strong commercial mindset supported by technical credibility; ability to balance customer needs with manufacturing capabilities, supply constraints, and profitability objectives; strong strategic thinking and business acumen; excellent communication and presentation skills with both technical and non-technical audiences; proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment; effective problem-solving and data-driven decision-making skills; strong collaboration and relationship-building abilities across cross-functional teams; ability to influence decisions and drive alignment without direct reporting authority; comfort with ambiguity and adapting to changing market conditions.