Product Development Manager

Alcoa; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading materials company is seeking a Product Development Manager in Greater London. This role involves providing technical support, fostering customer collaboration, and developing innovative aluminum solutions. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Material Science or Engineering and at least 7 years of relevant experience. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage customer needs are essential. Join us to help shape the future of sustainability through groundbreaking innovations.

Benefits

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Opportunities for career advancement

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in automotive or relevant industry.
• Familiarity with alloy testing and process optimization.
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with R&D to develop innovative aluminum products.
• Promote continuous improvement and technical excellence.
• Support commercial teams with technical insights.

Skills

Strong customer orientation

Interpersonal and communication skills

Critical thinking and analytical skills

Teamwork orientation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Material Science or Engineering

Job description

Shape Your World

Atcoa, you will become an essential part of our purpose: to turn raw potential into real progress. The way we see it, every Alcoan is a work-shaper, team-shaper, idea-shaper & world-shaper.

As the Product Development Manager, you will be responsible for providing pre and post-sale technical support services to customers, developing creative solutions for their aluminum needs and for fostering collaboration and improvement efforts for Alcoa and customers. You will advise customers on products characteristics, properties and processing adjustments to improve product performance and satisfaction.

At Alcoa, you’re an essential part of our purpose: to turn raw potential into real progress. This is an opportunity for you to bring your wealth of experience to the team and help shape the future of sustainability with world-changing innovations and low carbon technologies. You have the power to shape things to make them better.

Alcoa is seeking a dynamic and strategic Product Development Manager for our Customer Technical Support team based in Rotterdam. Reporting directly to the Director, Technical Customer Service, this role is accountable for Product & alloy Development, Technical Support & Sales Enablement, OEM Relationship Building and Business Case & investment planning activities.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with R&D to develop innovative aluminum products for casting, rolling and extrusion.
• Promote continuous improvement and technical excellence, through process optimization workshops at the customer location, metallurgy and aluminum processing training.
• Ensure solutions meet sustainability and performance goals.
• Support commercial teams with technical insights and customer solutions. Visit customers when necessary to provide training, quality and productivity assessment and anticipate customer needs.
• Foster collaboration across internal departments (Alloy development, Casthouses, COE, Sales) and customer technical design teams.
• Ensure accurate documentation and timely responses.
• Build and maintain trusted partnerships with OEMs and tiers, acting as Alcoa ambassador for material selection, material development and new solutions.
• Support the development of business cases to support new product and application opportunities.
• Collaborate with operations and CapEx teams to identify and address capability gaps.
• Align investment needs strategic growth initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in material science or engineering.
• Equivalent industry experience.
• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in automotive or relevant industry.

Requirements

• Strong customer orientation, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Familiarity with alloy testing, prototyping, process optimization and adoption strategy for new materials and applications.
• Demonstrated critical thinking and analytical skills with experience developing and executing go-to-market for new products.
• High sense of urgency to resolve customer requests, implement action plans and answer to customers’ technical needs.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence, self‑motivated, driven.
• Autonomous action planning and implementation capability accompanied by strong teamwork orientation.
• Ability to travel up to 50% of his/her time.
• Fluency in English.

About the Location

Alcoa is an international company with multiple locations and joint ventures across six continents. Wherever you choose to join us, you’ll be joining a global team committed to advancing sustainability and delivering excellence and innovation. As industry pioneers, we are redefining what it means to be a sustainable aluminum company, bridging the journey from mines to metal.

We are values led, vision driven and united by our purpose of transforming raw potential into real progress. Our commitments to inclusion, diversity & equity include providing trusting workplaces that are safe, respectful and inclusive of all individuals, free from discrimination, bullying and harassment and that our workplaces reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate.

As a proud equal opportunity workplace and affirmative action employer, Alcoa is dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of a person’s gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, nation of origin, disability, veteran status, language spoken or any other characteristic or status protected by the laws or regulations in the places where we operate.

If you have visited our website in search of information on U.S. employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Alcoa Recruiting via email at [e-mail].

This is a place where you are empowered to do your best work, be your authentic self, and feel a true sense of belonging. Come join us and shape your career!

Your work. Your world. Shape them for the better.