UK Research and Development Director

What if you could play a role in advancing life around the world? 

Do you have industrial expertise in Batteries and/or Electrochemistry/Material Science working in a technical capability and interacting with customers and new product development teams? 

Would you like a Leadership role managing diverse technical activities that include functional management, cutting-edge application development, laboratory processes and analytical chemistry?

Would you like to work in a stable, profitable, and growing business?  

If so, join us at Orbia: where purpose comes to life.

Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions business is hiring for a UK Research and Development Director to be based at Thornton Science Park, Cheshire!

Purpose:

The UK Research and Development Director provides people and site leadership and manages diverse technical activities in coordination with other technical leaders from the Fluorinated solutions global organization. This includes functional management of laboratory practices and safety, people leadership and development, technical project leadership, as well as local site leadership and communication with the broader organization.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Lead site functional management, analytical chemistry, and laboratory processes.

• Provides site safety leadership and accountability, engaged into all the risks stemming from experimental work and the mitigations needed to ensure everyone's safety. Responsible for training and development for the UK R&D team.

• Provides interface with the Fluorinated solutions global team as a member of company’s Growth and Technology leadership team.

• Closely coordinates with technical leaders in the Fluorinated solutions business key focus areas (Refrigerants, Batteries, Medical Propellants, future focus areas) to ensure safe and effective execution of technical projects at the UK Technology centre.

• Directs experimental processes, ensuring the primacy of safety, health & environment in all experimental activities.

• Manages the UK R&D budget in coordination with global leaders and support functions.

• Champions government relations and leads assessments of battery related opportunities in UK / EU.

• Provides people leadership across site and broadly across the Fluorinated solutions business. Engages with local team and others to understand projects & optimize resources, understand vision & link to research.

• Focuses on developing people, provides mentorship, coaching, day-to-day support.

• Ensures long-term organizational development, efficiency, retention, and durability.

• Engages local UK teams, supports a healthy culture. Member of the UK country leadership team.

• Help facilitate facilities issues and interfaces with other departments.

• Coordinates with technical leaders to develop work plans, scope, optimize resources and ensures realistic timetables for site’s technical projects.

• Develops external visibility and industry awareness, represents company externally.

Qualification and Experience:

• Minimum postgraduate in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering or related subject. PhD in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, or other relevant field would be advantageous.

• 10 years of industrial technical experience preferably in Batteries, Electrochemistry, Material Science or Chemical industry.

• 5 years leading R&D teams and deploying technology in an industrial chemistry field.

• Experience in managing teams and projects.

• Excellent networking skills with the ability to build connections internally and externally.

• Ability to manage multiple initiatives in an agile environment.

• Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills.

• Knowledge of technologies of interest to the Fluorinated solutions business would be advantageous (Refrigerants, Batteries, Medical Propellants).

• Self-motivated and willing to expand knowledge.

• Ability to function in a matrix reporting environment.

• Excellent presentation skills and ability to communicate clearly with teams.

If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the posting, we encourage you to apply and join our talent network. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!  

We do not hire candidates who tick every box. We hire talent. We upskill our talent.  

As we tackle global problems, we are laser focused on developing leaders of the future.   

Check out our ImpactMark as we deliver on those promises: https://www.orbia.com/this-is-orbia/our-impactmark/    

About Koura, an Orbia business and part of the Fluorinated Solutions group: 

Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions business is a global leader in the development, manufacture, and supply of fluoroproducts that play a fundamental role in enhancing everyday lives and shortening the path to a sustainable, circular economy.  

Backed by over 35 years of experience, the company’s products are used in a vast range of applications including electric vehicles and energy storage, urban and rural infrastructure, indoor climate management, food and medicine refrigeration, and even in treating respiratory conditions through the development of healthy and innovative low-GWP propellants for metered-dose inhalers.  

The Fluorinated solutions business has 1,600 employees and 13 manufacturing facilities worldwide, serving 60 countries through a global sales and distribution network. 

About Orbia:  

Orbia is a global company driven by the purpose to advance life around the world. Across the Polymer Solutions (Vestolit and Alphagary), Building and Infrastructure (Wavin), Precision Agriculture (Netafim), Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line) and Fluorinated Solutions (Koura) sectors, our six leading businesses and team of over 23,000 is thinking big and working smart to solve some of the toughest challenges that impact people and planet. From creating solutions to deliver clean water, secure food supplies and reliable information to steering material advances that power the future of green and smart cities, transportation, and healthcare, we never settle for “good enough” when there is an opportunity to make life better. Wherever you work across our 50 countries of operations, you’ll be able to bring your skills, talents, and perspectives to helping create a better company and a better world. Join us at Orbia: where purpose comes to life.

We invite you to learn more about Orbia and its businesses!