Product Development & Tooling Manager

Tellus Products, LLC is a leading global flexible packaging company with comprehensive product offerings. We are guided in our work by four core values that are the basis for our success: Integrity, Intensity, Innovation, and Involvement. We bring brand owners and packaging experts together to generate fresh thinking, accelerate advanced technology and increase speed-to-market, package customization and consumer differentiation. Our expertise is rooted in shared core values grown from the heritage of our small businesses and strategic acquisitions. Collectively, we are stronger and more responsive, with a broader geographic footprint.

OVERVIEW

The Product Development & Tooling Manager at Tellus is a leadership role that requires extensive experience and a proven track record in leading a team to develop new products in molded fiber. Critical aspects of the role include in-depth consumer insight, strong technical expertise, leadership and team development skills, and strategic awareness with demonstrable and aligned implementation. This passionate individual has extensive knowledge of molded fiber technologies and market trends. This position demands strong technical, process, and mechanical design abilities and the capacity to cultivate positive business relationships within the organization and with external customers.

DETAILED ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Please keep the following information in mind:

Develops and executes Tellus NPD molded fiber product strategy

Allocates product development resources effectively through improved processes and systems

Communicates project progress, barriers, and potential risks to leadership

Ensures all products are safe, profitable, competitive, legal, and meet brand requirements

Manages projects and leads team through technical aspects of significant launches or larger business-scale projects

Knows essential materials, supply chains, and manufacturing processes and can provide training

Understands consumer and customer habits, practices, usage, needs, and preference drivers within the category

Predicts and reacts to the cost/value equation and challenges business cases not aligned with overall business strategies

Identifies and champions technology/ingredient development leading to competitive advantage and margin enhancement

Regularly reviews competitor products and proposes routes for maintaining competitive advantage

Acts as an influential player in a multifunctional team, driving appropriate change and timely decision-making

Leads and partners with Sales-Marketing to provide technical support for customer discussions and leads customer interactions, identifies and develops opportunities for new product claims, and trade/consumer stories

Creates business cases for stage gate process that leverages Tellus NPD capabilities

Manages a team of CAD Designers – Material Scientists, Process Engineers, and Laboratory Technicians

Embraces company values, drives culture change, promotes positive challenge, and develops vital talent within the team

Provides insights to customers for new products and technologies that drive product portfolio and strategic vision

Represents Tellus NPD on cross-functional teams through project meetings, providing technical direction and identifying solutions

Effectively uses technical and business acumen to explain concepts and risks to diverse audiences

Deals with ambiguity and complexity, assessing risk before making decisions when not all information is provided

WORK EXPERIENCES

Qualifications:

Engineering degree or proven experience in a similar environment.

7-10 years of experience working directly with fiber development.

A Proven track record of product launches.

Commercial acumen to include consumer understanding.

Leadership of a small team.

Extensive knowledge of a broad range of food ingredients & process science.

Product design & development (advanced) – demonstrated by the successful launch of the package to the market

Understanding of consumer & customer requirements

Pulp Fiber understanding

Sensory & consumer testing understanding – qualitative & quantitative

Local labeling regulations (basic understanding)

Operational and Supply Chain understanding.

Project management skills: demonstrated ability to manage & deliver against multiple objectives

Ability to successfully execute problem-solving abilities and exhibit sound judgment and decision-making skills supported by technical justification.

Effective verbal and written proficiency in English at all organizational levels; the ability to be conversant in another language, such as Spanish or Portuguese, is preferred.

Ability to utilize Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and laboratory software such as ilabber and CAD (Solidworks and autodesk fusion 360).

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

BS or MS in industrial engineering or related technology/engineering is essential.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

Supervision of a medium-sized team (2-4 direct reports).

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Greater than 30% travel for business meetings, customer interaction, and process runs.

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES)

Analytical Thinking & Decision Making – Identifies and understands trends and/or issues; connects data points through analysis to arrive at a logical conclusion.

Business and Financial Acumen – Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the organizations financial, accounting, marketing, and operations functions; interprets and applies knowledge of key financial indicators to make corporate decisions.

Customer Orientation: The employee always keeps internal and/or external customer(s) in mind. The employee strives to address customer concerns and needs proactively.

Effective Communication involves expressing ideas and information clearly and concisely by tailoring ones message to fit the interests and needs of the audience.

Establishes Trust – Gaining the confidence and faith of others by actions and words that promote being honest, forthcoming, integrious, and vulnerable.

Problem-Solving – Anticipates, evaluates, diagnoses, and resolves problems systematically and tactically.

Results Orientation & Accountability – Takes accountability, identifies, executes, and drives actions to achieve desired results consistently.

Teamwork and collaboration create a climate that fosters commitment to a common vision and shared values, promoting cooperation and working together through trust and support from others.

Change Management – Achieves success through change; identifies opportunities for improvement and innovation; removes barriers and resistance; and enables behaviors that support desired outcomes.

Develops Others—Plans for the growth of others; diligently addresses performance issues and conflicts, both at the individual and organizational level, with the purpose of achieving results through the activities of other people.

Strategic Mindset: Understands the companys short—and long-term priorities and aligns department priorities and behavior around achieving those objectives

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.