Short Description

This posting is for a Process Development Engineer in the Performance Films Technology Organization at Eastman Chemical Company located in DaLian, China. Individual will be primarily supporting automotive and architectural markets for Window Films and Paint Protection Films. The position will have responsibility as a liaison between R&D and manufacturing with a focus on process development, successful scale-up of new products adhering, sustaining Technology-Manufacturing Readiness protocol, and scouting new process innovation for Raw materials and Film converting technologies including Coating/Lamination and Winding/Slitting R2R processes.   Candidate must be flexible, proactive, and professional with experience in scale-up and process development applications such as coatings, pressure sensitive adhesive formulations, radiation cured polymeric coatings, and web handling. Candidate should be able to communicate effectively and function in an innovative, fast-paced, multidisciplinary team environment.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with the Zero Incident Mindset Safety programs and MOC system, while identifying safety concerns and implementing effective engineering and administrative solutions. 
• Champion process capabilities and leverage technology boundaries to apply and help project execution.
• Scout external vendors and technologies, presenting recommendations for new technology implementations to management, and develop capital project proposals (including developing scope, conducting project safety reviews, and generating estimates).
• Building out modeling/theory and applying it to final products.
• Provide representation for selected business areas in Scale-up and Process Innovation, understanding business and market needs regarding growth, new commercialization, scale-up capabilities, and needed process technology improvements.
• Provide technical and business assessments to guide management through decisions in the development and scale-up of new products/processes.
• Identify areas of improvement on the manufacturing floor and collaborate with R&D scientists and manufacturing engineers to provide solutions that directly impact quality and cost.
• Participate in the improvement of operating processes and management of change (MOC).
• Interface with the Quality and Manufacturing Departments to identify actions for quality improvement and implement root-cause analysis, statistical process control (SPC), and other quality initiatives.
• Provide scale-up project leadership, overseeing lab, pilot, and manufacturing scale-up activities while maintaining awareness of lab work conducted by team members.
• Interface with project managers and teams to understand project needs, advance projects, and meet deliverables in Technology-Manufacturing Readiness Level, translating these into trial plans in collaboration with operations and other functional teams.
• Communicate results, conclusions, and recommendations to internal and external audiences, keeping others informed of your work
• Engage with business and technical management to advocate for appropriate scale-up activities, facilities, and capabilities.
• Represent Eastman in tolling opportunities where processes will be scaled and manufactured externally.
   

Qualifications

• Master of Science – Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, Optical, Physics or related discipline 5+ years of experience in an R&D, Engineering and/or Operations 
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
• Familiar with Six Sigma methodology and Minitab/JMP.
• Experience with wet coating applications (Gravure and Slot Die); knowledge of roll-to-roll Web Technology is a plus.
• Capable of managing multiple assignments of varying complexity with strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving skills.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills for cross-functional process improvements.  a team player and self-starter.
• Effective written, verbal, and listening communication skills; 
• Willingness to flex schedule to support operational issues when needed
• Eager to make a positive impact on plant performance and profitability while gaining hands-on experience in R&D and plant operations.