TS & AD Technical Leader - Blow Molding

About the role

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company's innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 13,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2025 revenue of approximately $8.8 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Responsibilities

• Lead launch-phase technical projects that enable blow-molded circular packaging solutions, including validation and qualification of materials containing PCR and/or circular feedstocks, supporting brand commitments and regulatory requirements.
• Engage proactively with brand owners, converters, and blow molders to drive adoption of packaging solutions that meet sustainability targets, while maintaining required processing performance and package integrity.
• Support opportunity-management processes that prioritize circular packaging initiatives aligned with business strategy (new business, protect, and grow); apply consultative selling skills to communicate technical value related to sustainability, performance, and total system compatibility.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, R&D, Product Management, and Manufacturing to translate brand sustainability goals—such as increased recycled content, elimination of non-recyclable structures, and improved recyclability—into differentiated polymer and application solutions for blow-molded packaging.
• Design, execute, and interpret application and validation trials to assess PCR performance, recyclability compatibility, and processing robustness, translating results into scalable technical recommendations, specifications, and processing guidelines for commercial deployment.
• Conduct customer training, technical seminars, and conference presentations focused on circular packaging enablement, including PCR integration, and the intersection of polymer science, process capability, and recycling system requirements.
• Translate customer feedback, evolving brand circularity roadmaps, and regulatory or market trends into prioritized development opportunities; partner with R&D to advance material and application concepts that improve recyclability, circular content utilization, and overall lifecycle performance.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation and tools — including PCR processing guidelines, recyclability assessments, test methods, failure-mode playbooks, technical reports, and application guides — to institutionalize circular packaging knowledge and accelerate response time to customer needs.
• Mentor and coach Technology and Business colleagues to strengthen organizational capability in circular packaging, recycled materials, and blow molding applications through knowledge sharing, internal training sessions, and best-practice development.
• Represent Eastman externally at customer technical reviews, audits, industry forums, and sustainability-focused conferences; support commercial discussions with data-driven technical evidence that demonstrates alignment with brand-owner circular commitments.

Qualifications

• B.S. with 15+ years of relevant industry experience. PhD or Master’s degree and 10+ years industry experience strongly preferred, but not required. Degree must be in Materials Science or Engineering, Polymer Science and/or Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or a closely related field.
• Strong technical knowledge and commercial understanding of the polymers and plastics industry, with demonstrated experience in packaging applications. Hands-on experience and downstream exposure across the value chain — including brand owners, converters, and blow molders — are highly preferred.
• Extensive experience supporting blow-molded commercial packaging products (e.g., injection stretch blow molding, extrusion blow molding, injection blow molding), with a strong preference for applications involving circular packaging.
• Demonstrated understanding of brand-owner circular commitments and compatibility with existing recycling infrastructure; experience balancing sustainability objectives with processing robustness and package performance is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of structure-property-processing relationships in thermoplastic polymers, particularly as they relate to blow molding of virgin and recycled materials; familiarity with design of experiments (DOE), statistical analysis, and structured problem-solving methodologies is preferred.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with brand owners, converters, and internal cross-functional teams. Proven ability to build credibility, influence technical decision-making, and establish trusted long-term working relationships with customers.

Benefits

Your total rewards go far beyond a competitive salary. When you join Eastman, you gain access to an exceptional suite of programs designed to protect your health, grow your wealth, and fuel your career.

• Compensation & Incentives: Base pay plus performance-based incentive opportunities that let you share in our success.
• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, prescription-drug, and dental coverage—paired with a Health Savings Account option to help you save tax-free dollars for care today or in the future. A robust menu of voluntary benefits—including vision, optional life, critical-illness protection, and more—so you can tailor coverage to fit your life. Holistic wellness support: financial-planning tools, family-building assistance (adoption, pregnancy, and fertility resources), parental leave, and confidential Employee Assistance Program counseling.
• Retail & Financial Strategies: 401(k) with a company match—plus an additional annual retirement contribution from Eastman to accelerate your long-term savings.
• Time Away: Eleven paid holidays, one personal day, paid time off, and paid vacation to recharge, celebrate, or handle life’s moments.
• Growth & Development: Access to mentorship, learning resources, and leadership programs that empower you to thrive in your current role and chart the next steps in your career.