Now Hiring - Application & Market Development Engineer in Benton, AR

General

• Lead and execute technical assignments, project work, work requests, and operational tasks. Organize and assign activities to PMD Lab Technicians and report progress and outcomes to project requestors.
• Manage laboratory equipment, capabilities, and supplies to ensure smooth and efficient operation.

Product and Market Development

• Supports PMD team members (stage gate project leaders) and sales department (Regional Account Managers) to achieve the targets as defined in the annual budget (sales of new products) and the PMD A3 (development of new and improved products).
• Supports PMD team members, product team members and task forces with qualification efforts, including providing data and samples for customer evaluation.
• Assist PMD and Sales Team to successfully position Almatis’ new and improved products and applications against competition in the market.

Technical customer support

Supports customer satisfaction & establishment of sustainable solutions:

• Provide technical support to assigned customers.
• Provide data and execute plans to resolve technical-related product issues.
• Contribute to customer complaint resolution when invited by the Customer Complaint Handling Team (in line with Almatis CCHP).

Research and knowledge

• Increase our technical understanding and develop new application know how for new and existing Almatis products in existing and new markets. Ensures proper documentation of project work and results.
• Steer and adjust our own R&D efforts & ensures Almatis´ awareness on scientific publications and technical trends relevant to our products, processes and business.

Job duties/results:

General

• Apply understanding of research and development concepts to project work.
• Contribute to more complex work streams led by senior colleagues within the service or function.
• Maintains close working relationships with specialists in the field and key parties of interest in the company to assess and analyze market demands and market trends.
• Ensures correct translation of market demands in products and services with the research department and other disciplines.
• Contributes in the planning of annual activities and policy formation.

Product and Market Development

• Manage work requests and projects by completing tasks personally or by assigning tasks to a Lab Technician.
• Manage laboratory capabilities by ensuring equipment is in working order and staff is trained to use it.
• Implement new equipment and establish standard operating procedures.
• Assists, in liaison with the Application & Market Development Managers, the market development of new and existing products in refractories / CPS and new markets in order to meet or exceed the budgeted targets.
• Creates ideas for new products and present the business case to the local product team and Gate Keepers. Manage with the project team the product development and launch according to the Product Life Cycle (design, testing, creation, marketing, planning, and co-ordination)
• Assists with new application opportunities for Almatis´ product lines and provide technical assessments of new application opportunities to the Application & Market Development Manager, Technical Manager of the region (or Global Technical Director Ceramics).
• Assists with preparation of technical papers and presentations for the promotion of Almatis´ products and concepts.
• Collects technical information and samples of competitor products, conducts benchmarking studies, and provide an assessment of competitive threats and opportunities to the Application & Market Development Manager, Technical Manager (or Global Technical Director Ceramics).
• Establishes and maintains frequent contacts to institutes or work groups investigating independently in areas where Almatis´ products are or should be utilized. Initiate samples of Almatis products and follow up on work done with them.
• Assists with development of new training material for external and internal trainings on Almatis´ products and concepts.

Technical customer support

• Establishes and maintain a close relationship to assigned customers. Perform regular visits (frequency depending on the importance and size of the customer) and provide visit reports for the technical and sales team in the region.
• Understands customer applications and needs and provide help to overcome technical problems and improve the performance of customer products. Apply and develop know how by initiating technical projects in cooperation with customers.
• Initiates or contributes to and follow up critical product properties being subject for customer product specifications. Ensure a solution having the right balance between customer expectation and needs and Almatis process and laboratory capabilities.
• Analyses and assesses potential root causes of customer complaints with technical nature by gathering information from customer and Almatis plant concerned and provide suggestions to overcome the problem and avoid reoccurrence.
• Prepares and performs customer trainings in the application lab and on-site with the customers.
• Provides technical training and support to Almatis´ sales force and customer service representatives in the region to ensure a highly competent technical sales effort.

Research and Knowledge

• Gathers technical information from literature, technical conferences, direct customer contact, and contact with refractory end users to develop ideas for the application of Almatis products.
• Designs and executes lab projects to investigate new and existing Almatis products in refractory / CPO applications.
• Compile learning in presentations suitable for internal training (regional and global technical team and sales team in the region) and external training of customers and institutes.
• Assesses technical information from papers, presentations, and other sources regarding their relevance for Almatis´ business and R&D efforts and compile relevant information for the Application & Market Development Manager, Technical Manager and/or the Global Technical Director Ceramics.
• Assist in assigned projects with external partners (universities, institutes) in order to increase our technical understanding.
• Summarize information relevant for Almatis and document project results on paper. Circulates information to related parties.
• Report about new technical learning in the monthly technical highlights.