Avient

Our purpose at Avient Corporation is to be an innovator of materials solutions that help customer succeed, while enabling a sustainable world.

Innovation goes far beyond materials science; it´s powered by the passion, creativity, and diverse expertise of 9,000 professionals worldwide. Whether you´re a finance wizard, a tech enthusiast, an operational powerhouse, an HR changemaker, or a trailblazer in materials development, you´ll find your place at Avient.

Join our global team and help shape the future with sustainable solutions that transform possibilities into realities. Your unique perspective could be the key to our next breakthrough!

Job Summary

In this role you will develop new application concepts using HMPE fiber based products to generate profitable business for Avient Protective Materials (APM). You develop new application prototypes with existing and new customers to prove technical feasibility and define a positive value proposition, including development of new application test methods, application certification to ensure product performance meeting application requirements. The focal area will be the APM Marine and Industrial Fiber segment, active in fields such as offshore platform mooring, crane hoisting, aquaculture and renewable energy with applications like ropes, slings, chains and nets or tension members in general.

Essential Functions

• Pro-actively connect to the industry, including direct customers and end users, and translate market trends and developments, as well as customer demands into application development projects. Ensure these fit in the APM segment and innovation strategies.
• Build up and maintain application and industry know-how and show-how and use this to develop new application concepts, including building of prototypes, development of engineering guidelines, norm/standard setting, certification methods and new application test methods.
• Contribute to Innovation and Marketing & Sales (M&S) in setting up innovation programs. Propose and execute Application Development Projects either as project leader or as project member in a multidisciplinary team, including DPM product and process development and technical centers, marketing & sales and operations.
• Connect to and use competences in our internal science base, universities and external institutes for relevant expertise and knowhow development and/or testing, benchmarking and validation. Attend and present our developments at conferences and exhibitions.
• Connect to certification bodies to initiate and drive qualification and certification of new applications with our products and the engineering methods, guidelines and tools we develop.
• Maintain contacts with equipment suppliers to ensure the development of new equipment or the adaptation of existing equipment for the production and testing of new applications.
• Transfer new application knowhow to our M&S engineers and customers and support the introduction of new application concepts.
• Support and coach technicians in APM Tech Centers
• Report general trends in application development (including competitor developments) and report on progress of own projects.
• Be aware of and act upon opportunities or threats in IP.
• Based in Geleen, The Netherlands.

Essential Functions

• Pro-actively connect to the industry, including direct customers and end users, and translate market trends and developments, as well as customer demands into application development projects. Ensure these fit in the APM segment and innovation strategies.
• Build up and maintain application and industry know-how and show-how and use this to develop new application concepts, including building of prototypes, development of engineering guidelines, norm/standard setting, certification methods and new application test methods.
• Contribute to Innovation and Marketing & Sales (M&S) in setting up innovation programs. Propose and execute Application Development Projects either as project leader or as project member in a multidisciplinary team, including DPM product and process development and technical centers, marketing & sales and operations.
• Connect to and use competences in our internal science base, universities and external institutes for relevant expertise and knowhow development and/or testing, benchmarking and validation. Attend and present our developments at conferences and exhibitions.
• Connect to certification bodies to initiate and drive qualification and certification of new applications with our products and the engineering methods, guidelines and tools we develop.
• Maintain contacts with equipment suppliers to ensure the development of new equipment or the adaptation of existing equipment for the production and testing of new applications.
• Transfer new application knowhow to our M&S engineers and customers and support the introduction of new application concepts.
• Support and coach technicians in APM Tech Centers
• Report general trends in application development (including competitor developments) and report on progress of own projects.
• Be aware of and act upon opportunities or threats in IP.
• Based in Geleen, The Netherlands.

Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree in related engineering discipline (mechanical engineering, fiber and textile engineering, materials science or a related discipline)
• Experience in application development with customers and/or end users in the field of Marine and Industrial fibers in for example mooring, lifting or aquaculture, focusing on applications such as ropes, slings, chains and nets. Experience with High Modulus Polyethylene fibers is a plus.
• Broad understanding of processing and performance of fiber-based materials in rope (or similar) applications, supported by a solid conceptual understanding of fiber materials behavior, the mechanics thereof, and experimental testing methods.
• High drive to implement new concepts and products into applications.
• Experience in guiding Product Development to develop new material concepts, by translating application requirements into product (material) requirements.
• Experience in guiding (materials) scientists in generation of mechanistic understanding of ‘how applications work’ to build the required competence, and in implementing the results in the application.
• Experience in using a network of external institutes / facilities to support application development, preferably in the field of ropes or similar applications.
• Experience in certification and qualification processes.
• Good connector between external and internal world, and between technical and commercial functions – bridging the gap.
• Good communication, social and coaching skills combined with good analytical and conceptual capabilities.
• Willingness to travel to visit customers and external institutes, and attend conferences and tradeshows.

We believe that all of our global employees are leaders and that the six most important behaviors for driving our strategy and culture are the same no matter if an employee is a leader of self, a leader of others, or a leader of the business.

By playing to win, acting customer centric, driving innovation and profitable growth, collaborating seamlessly across Avient, and motivating and inspiring and developing others and yourself you will accelerate your ability to achieve Avient’s strategic goals, to meet our customer needs, and to accomplish your career goals.

About Avient Protective Materials

Avient Protective Materials is patent-owner and manufacturer of Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™. Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™ is APM’s premium product brand for Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEthylene (UHMWPE) fiber, UD and fabric. Dyneema® combines maximum strength with minimum weight. It is 15 times stronger than quality steel and 40% stronger than aramid fiber, both on weight for weight basis. Dyneema® is used in countless applications where its performance is critical, and failure is simply not an option. Many of these applications would not be possible to design and engineer without Dyneema®. For the people wearing it, and working with it and designing with it, we summarize the promise we make with Dyneema® as “with you when it matters”. Industries like law enforcement, maritime, offshore, medical, defense, sports, outdoor, renewable energy, and personal protective equipment rely on Dyneema® for its lightweight, protective and durable properties.

Dyneema® is born from innovation. Our scientific expertise in advanced materials is created with a combination of processing knowhow, material knowledge and application experience. We’re proud of our long term collaborations with customers, and the IP protected Dyneema® technology platforms we have created together. From start-ups to global industry leaders, we invest in helping our customers develop the next generation of performance-leading applications. Further information on Dyneema® is available at www.dyneema.com.