Director, Market & Business Development - Performance Materials

In this early-stage growth role, you drive the commercial side of opportunities from concept to commercialization within the Performance Materials team. You'll work closely with a technical lead to align customer value with technical development and guide Stage Gate decisions. You will engage with customers early, translate insights into actionable strategies, and shape platform growth across portfolios. This is a hands-on role that blends market insight with technical collaboration to accelerate smart investments.

• Lead the commercial approach for early-stage growth opportunities
• Create a clear commercial picture: target customer, value, alternatives, and switch rationale
• Prioritize technical features with R&T based on customer value
• Guide ideas through Stage Gate using customer feedback over assumptions
• Oversee commercial strategy across multiple platforms and portfolios
• Define and refine criteria to greenlight, pause, or stop opportunities
• Engage with customers early and often to capture actionable insights
• Translate customer needs into testable value propositions
• Collaborate with R&T to align development with customer requirements
• Shape long-term platform growth strategy and positioning across segments
• Support commercialization with practical positioning, adoption factors, and value-chain fit
• Collaborate across functions to bring customer learnings into technical discussions
• Lead the early commercialization strategy for one or more platforms
• Ensure consistent pricing logic and market messaging across opportunities
• Build trust with technical teams through customer-driven insights
• Prepare opportunities for sales handoff when appropriate
• Balance portfolio investments by market signals and customer feedback

• 5-10 years in B2B industrial markets (chemicals, materials, automotive components, filtration, engineered products)
• Experience taking ideas from concept to customer-ready or tested
• Track record with technically differentiated or IP-protected products
• Ability to manage multiple early-stage opportunities simultaneously
• Experience partnering with R&D/engineering to translate customer needs into development priorities
• Exposure to specification-driven markets (automotive, electronics, industrial materials)
• Experience leading complex opportunity portfolios and shaping multi-year platform strategy (preferred)
• Experience coaching or leading other BD/product/commercial team members (preferred)
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, chemistry, materials, or business; MBA/technical graduate preferred but not required
• Willingness to travel up to 25%
• Legal authorization to work in the United States (no sponsorship)

• Strong curiosity and willingness to test assumptions
• Ability to build concise, evidence-based stories
• Executive communication and ability to influence senior leaders
• Stage Gate process awareness
• Customer discovery and value proposition development
• Cross-functional collaboration with R&T, Ops, and Supply Chain