Senior Polymer Product Development Lead

Merritt Recruitment; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Merritt Recruitment is assisting a well-established speciality chemicals manufacturer in recruiting a Technical Manager to lead an experienced Product Development team in the West Midlands. The role is hands-on, guiding projects from concept through scale-up to commercial launch and aligning technical work with business strategy and customer needs.

You will mentor development chemists, drive scale-up, collaborate with manufacturing, quality and commercial teams, and represent the business at

Qualifications

• Experienced technical professional with a background in polymer development and supervisory experience.
• A degree in Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Materials Science or a related discipline.
• Significant experience within polymers, coatings, adhesives, elastomers or speciality chemicals.
• Experience of managing or mentoring technical teams.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Commercial awareness and confidence working with customers.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance, quality control and HSE.
• Must have the right to work in the UK - our client cannot offer sponsorship.
• Must be living in the UK. Please do not apply if you are not a UK resident.

Responsibilities

• Leading and developing the Product Development team.
• Managing a portfolio of development projects typically lasting between 6 and 18 months.
• Driving successful scale-up from laboratory to full manufacturing production.
• Working closely with manufacturing, quality and commercial teams.
• Supporting customers through technical visits and development discussions.
• Attending industry exhibitions and representing the business externally.
• Ensuring technical activities align with commercial opportunities and strategic objectives.
• Developing broader technical capabilities across the development team.
• Providing technical leadership in polymer development, problem solving and product optimisation.
• Supporting regulatory compliance

Skills

Polymer development

Supervisory experience

Project management

Communication

Regulatory compliance

Quality control

HSE knowledge

Customer engagement

Leadership

Education

Polymer Chemistry

Chemistry degree

Materials Science

Job description

Merritt Recruitment is assisting a well-established speciality chemicals manufacturer in recruiting a Technical Manager to lead an experienced Product Development team in the West Midlands. The role is hands-on, guiding projects from concept through scale-up to commercial launch and aligning technical work with business strategy and customer needs.

You will mentor development chemists, drive scale-up, collaborate with manufacturing, quality and commercial teams, and represent the business at