Material Conversion R&D Leader
Owens Corning
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Owens Corning is seeking a Material Conversion R&D Leader in West Chicago, IL. You will lead the material conversion capability within the MPI organization, directing development programs from concept through pilot validation to manufacturing scaleup.
This role blends materials science, process development, and manufacturing execution to industrialize new materials and processes. You will manage a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers, collaborating with Product Engineering,
Qualifications
- 5+ years of industrial experience in R&D, process development, and/or manufacturing environments.
- Experience leading technical teams or serving as a technical decision maker in complex manufacturing systems.
- Experience in pilotscale development, manufacturing scaleup, and crossfunctional leadership.
Responsibilities
- Lead the Material Conversion R&D team, setting technical direction and priorities.
- Own end-to-end material conversion program execution from concept to manufacturing handoff.
- Define process architectures and automation strategies for scalable manufacturing.
Skills
Education
Job description
The Material Conversion R&D Leader provides technical and people leadership for materialtoprocess conversion within Doors R&D. This role is accountable for translating material concepts into scalable, manufacturable processes for interior and exterior door systems. Success requires strong critical thinking, engineering judgement, and structured problemsolving to navigate ambiguity, evaluate tradeoffs, and make sound decisions that balance performance, cost, risk, and manufacturability.
West Chicago, IL, US, 60185
Research and Development
Experienced Professional
On Site
69051
The Material Conversion R&D Leader leads the material conversion capability within the Material and Process Innovation (MPI) organization, owning technical direction and execution across materialtoprocess development programs. This role bridges materials science, process development, and manufacturing execution to ensure new materials and processes are industrialized successfully.
The position leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers and serves as a senior technical authority for material conversion decisions. The leader partners closely with Product Engineering, Tooling, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure solutions are developed with a clear understanding of manufacturing constraints, scalability, and longterm robustness.
Operating in a technically complex and ambiguous environment, the role applies scientific rigor and critical thinking to evaluate incomplete data, manage technical risk, and guide teams from concept through pilot validation and manufacturing scaleup. The position balances nearterm business needs with longerterm innovation while ensuring solutions can be effectively transferred to operations.
Leads a team of scientists and engineers responsible for material conversion research, process development, pilot trials, and technology transfer to manufacturing.
- Lead and develop the Material Conversion R&D team, setting clear technical direction, expectations, and priorities aligned with Doors R&D. Build team capability by coaching and mentoring scientists and engineers in process fundamentals, systemlevel thinking, automation awareness, and structured problem solving, creating a strong pipeline of technical leaders.
- Lead material conversion programs and portfolios through the team, ensuring alignment of people, resources, timelines, and deliverables to achieve program objectives. Own endtoend material conversion program execution, from concept through pilot validation and manufacturing handoff.
- Establish technical direction for process architectures, equipment platforms, and automation strategies, ensuring scalability, robustness, and longterm manufacturability.
- Apply engineering judgement and critical thinking to guide teams in evaluating throughput, capacity, cycle time, yield, uptime, quality, cost, safety, and sustainability tradeoffs. Provide senior technical leadership for manufacturing systems involving automation and mechanical equipment, including pumps, drives, gear systems, material handling, controls, utilities, and supporting infrastructure required to deliver a complete operational process.
- Partner with Business, Operations, Tooling, Automation, Controls, Maintenance, Quality, and EHS teams to ensure programs are designed for realworld manufacturing conditions, operator interaction, maintainability, and lifecycle cost.
- Lead scaleup from lab to pilot to manufacturing by guiding teams in defining process windows, operating envelopes, control strategies, startup/shutdown conditions, and readiness criteria.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate technical and operational risks across programs related to equipment capability, process robustness, automation reliability, material variability, and plant integration.
- Guide pilotscale and manufacturing trials, ensuring teams generate highquality, decisionready data that supports qualification, scaleup decisions, and longterm process control. Ensure material conversion processes meet safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements, embedding hazard analysis, risk assessment, and safebydesign principles throughout development.
- Oversee development and implementation of SOPs, work instructions, and process documentation, ensuring safe operation, training effectiveness, and successful technology transfer.
- Collaborate with Quality and Operations to define critical process parameters, control plans, monitoring strategies, and response plans that ensure consistent product performance. Drive disciplined program execution using structured project management practices, including scope definition, milestones, stagegates, risk reviews, and deliverables.
- Serve as a senior technical escalation point, supporting teams in resolving complex process, equipment, automation, and operational readiness challenges. Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with Owens Corning safety, quality, and environmental standards across all team and program activities.
Demonstrated depth in material conversion and manufacturing systems, with the ability to understand how materials, equipment, automation, and plant systems interact as an integrated whole. Strong aptitude for systemlevel thinking, enabling evaluation of process behavior, variability, and constraints across pilot and manufacturing environments. Solid working knowledge of manufacturing fundamentals, process control concepts, and operational standards necessary to support stable, repeatable, and safe production.
Advanced critical thinking and engineering judgement, with the ability to synthesize technical data, operational considerations, and business constraints to make sound decisions in ambiguous situations. Strong analytical and problemsolving skills, including the ability to challenge assumptions, assess risk, and determine practical paths forward when information is incomplete. Effective communication and influence skills to convey complex technical concepts clearly and align stakeholders. Demonstrated leadership maturity, learning agility, and a safetyfirst mindset, with the resilience required to operate in dynamic, highaccountability environments.
Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline required. Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) preferred and may substitute for a portion of relevant experience.
5+ years of industrial experience in Research & Development, process development, and/or manufacturing environments, including demonstrated experience in pilotscale development, manufacturing scaleup, and crossfunctional technical leadership. Prior experience leading technical teams or serving as a technical decision maker in complex manufacturing systems is required.
The base salary range for this position is $124,000 to $148,420, with the potential for up to an additional x% if the applicant hired has additional related qualifications. We also offer a substantial benefits package including insurance (medical/dental/vision/life/disability/supplemental offerings), 401k (company contribution regardless of employee participation - plus match), paid time off that considers full professional tenure (vacation, personal floating and standard holidays), Employee Assistance Services, Stock Purchase Program - and more.
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Owens Corning is a branded building products leader with three complementary market-leading businesses providing roofing, insulation, and doors primarily for residential markets in North America and Europe. The company operates with an integrated go-to-market strategy and a unique set of OC Advantages - including its iconic brand, unparalleled commercial strength, leading technology, and winning cost position - to help customers win and grow in the market. Owens Corning is committed to helping build better and achieve more through winning partnerships, leading performance, and engaging people. Founded in 1938 and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Owens Corning is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: OC). For more information, visit www.owenscorning.com.
Owens Corning is an equal opportunity employer. Except in limited circumstances such as formal apprenticeship programs, Owens Corning does not employ anyone under the age of 18.
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