Technical Service Representative - Extrusion Coating

Responsibilities

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Extrusion Coatings Specialist with over 10 years of experience in the development and launch of extrusion coating product solutions with a focus on extrusion application processes, customer trial & production support, and market activation. This role demands deep technical knowledge of polymer science, extrusion processes, web coatings technologies, combined with strategic leadership to drive innovation, customer adoption, and commercial success.

The successful candidate will serve as a subject matter expert, collaborating closely with R&D, marketing, sales teams, and customers to deliver high-performance, sustainable coatings solutions for paper-based packaging that meets regulatory and market requirements. This position reports within Eastman’s technology organization and provides support for our Coatings business organization.

• Serve as the technical specialist for extrusion coating applications, supporting customers with technical guidance and problem-solving during trial execution and production scale-up
• Work with customers and internal capabilities to design, coordinate, and execute customer trials and scale-up activities for new materials and formulations from conception through completion
• Engage with downstream value chain partners including coaters and converters to understand application requirements and drive successful product implementation
• Apply deep understanding of web coating formulation and manufacturing processes to assist customers in optimizing their coated products
• Troubleshoot coating performance issues and recommend solutions to improve product quality and process efficiency
• Partner with global operations planner / product management to coordinate materials logistics for trials and ensure timely availability of required samples and raw materials
• Partner with marketing and business development teams to deliver new business growth
• Thought-partner with internal applications development on new formulation and product development to serve customer unmet needs
• Collaborate with internal testing capabilities to validate performance of products and benchmark materials in customer applications
• Develop technical literature and resources to support customer implementation and product understanding
• Serve as a technical expert on extrusion coating formulations and processes for customer inquiries
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with customers to understand their needs and ensure successful product implementation
• Support quality, health, and safety initiatives as they relate to formulation, material safety, and technical data sheets
• Attend trade shows and technical conferences to maintain knowledge of market trends and customer needs
• Travel to customers to discover needs, execute trials, provide production support, and ensure successful implementation
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including R&D, marketing, sales, manufacturing, product management and operations to support customer success

Qualifications

• Experience and Education: A bachelor's degree in polymer science, paper science, coatings, packaging, materials science, physics, or a plastics-related field 10+ years of relevant technical experience in extrusion, web coating, and coated product testing
• A Master's or PhD degree in polymer science, paper science, coatings, packaging, materials science, physics, or a plastics-related field 7+ years of experience in extrusion coating for web-based applications or related technical customer support roles

Other Qualifications: Must have excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively with customers and cross-functional teams. Willingness and ability to travel approximately 50% is required. Experience designing and executing customer trials and troubleshooting coating processes. Experience managing project logistics and coordinating with operations teams. Experience engaging with downstream value chain partners including coaters and converters. Experience with paper-based substrates and extrusion coatings processes is preferred. Experience with bio-based polymers and knowledge of process tuning and line conversion from petro-based polymers is preferred. Working knowledge of polymer science and coating formulation is preferred. Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple customer projects simultaneously. Self-motivated and able to work both independently and as a team member with both internal and external partners.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is $104,000 to $143,000. At Eastman, we are committed to transparency and integrity in our compensation practices. Eastman includes salary ranges in some job postings to provide clear compensation information and to be compliant with state laws that require disclosure. Not all postings display ranges due to factors like location, market conditions, or position specifics. Compensation is based on qualifications and experience. Candidates are encouraged to discuss their salary questions during the interview process.