Director of Materials Innovation

Tekni-Plex, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

TekniPlex, Inc. seeks a Director of Innovation to lead applied material science for NA Fresh Food, driving platform technologies from proof of concept through validation, scale-up, and commercialization.

This strategic role oversees Material Scientists, Engineers, and Lab Technicians and collaborates with Marketing, Product Management, the Global Innovation Center, and PMO. The role emphasizes formulation development, statistical DOE, data analysis, and technology translation into commercial

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Chemistry or related field is required.
• Minimum of 10 years bringing new materials to market.
• Minimum of 5 years leading technical teams.
• Experience in formulation development, statistical design of experiments, data analysis, and technical validation.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Material Scientists, Engineers, and Lab Technicians to develop and commercialize material platforms for NA Fresh Food.
• Serve as hands-on technical leader for strategic material programs, including formulation development, DOE, data analysis, and technical validation across packaging.
• Lead material investigations with strategic suppliers to identify new technologies for innovation and growth.
• Partner with Global Innovation Center to transition new platforms from concept to Fresh Food applications.
• Collaborate with Product Management and Marketing to define technology/market roadmaps and ideate with customers.
• Support project prioritization, technical readiness, risk management, and commercialization handoffs with the PMO.
• Define measurement systems correlating lab tests to customer-use conditions and manufacturability.
• Work with Operations and Quality to ensure technical feasibility and commercial relevance of new materials.
• Coach the team to improve methods, support IP, and promote continuous learning.

Skills

Team leadership

Formulation development

Statistical DOE

Data analysis

Packaging technology

Education

Master’s degree in Chemistry

Job description

TekniPlex, Inc. seeks a Director of Innovation to lead applied material science for NA Fresh Food, driving platform technologies from proof of concept through validation, scale-up, and commercialization.

This strategic role oversees Material Scientists, Engineers, and Lab Technicians and collaborates with Marketing, Product Management, the Global Innovation Center, and PMO. The role emphasizes formulation development, statistical DOE, data analysis, and technology translation into commercial