R&D Team Leader - Paints & Coatings

Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life.

Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.

Primary purpose of the Team leader is to support the business requirements by carrying out research, laboratory work, presenting the results to the stakeholders, following the projects involved with the relevant parties and being translator in between R&D teams and commercial teams. This is to be done by leading a team of chemists in developing new and / or improving existing Broadwall and TWSP products.

• Manage technical team in developing new or improving existing products for SSA business, through projects briefs from marketing team.
• Is the technical content expert for the IWP & EWP portfolio capable of formulating NPI or updating existing product’s formulae according to various requirements by meeting the technical and regulatory challenges.
• Perform the required laboratory tests and understand the results and interpretation of those results in the understandable format. Use and improvement of methodologies and tools. Protection of Akzo Nobel technologies.
• Organize the required lab work and execute the plan accordingly.
• Perform benchmark tests and communicates the outcome.
• Communicate results of lab tests to LTS manager and/or marketing/other R&D, PDC
• Maintains and promotes a safe work environment, complies with safety policies and procedures. Follows safe work practices for personal and equipment safety, in both the laboratory and in the field. End results are zero or minimum safety incidents and a clean, orderly working environment.
• Identifies new product/process optimization and technical solutions and new application opportunities for own area/domain and shares these with management.
• Keeps current on uses and improves relevant research methods in the field, ensures retention of knowledge through research reports and ensures other team members stay current.
• To support SAP/ MDG (Master Data Governance) needs as a user managing the daily business activities.
• Supports PV/ IA /HARMONIA as key user.
• Responsible for supporting the forwarding of requested product samples for PDC.
• Supports PSRA / NOVA requirements.
• Supports the certification of products and systems according to market and marketing requirements by leading in sustainability projects.
• Engages actively with the EWP & IWP PDC centrally and SPECIALTIES colleagues across various EMEA laboratories.
• Supports the business with expert knowledge and guidance for IWP, EWP, SPECIALTIES, PSRA, SUSTAINABILITY
• Transfers knowledge to internal sales and marketing and operations colleagues through training on IWP, EWP, SPECIALTIES products, PSRA, SUSTAINABILITY, enabling them to transfer same knowledge to customers and operations.
• Customer complaints handling related with the formulae performance for IWP, EWP, SPECIALTIES, PREDECO.
• Stand in for LTS manager during absence.
• Identify opportunities to add value to the business through the commercialization of new technology.
• Champion & drive Product Stewardship agenda in all new product development work, ensuring that all products sold under AN brand fully comply with…