R&D Manager - Core Materials

Accelerate the possible by joining a winning Amcor team that’s transforming the packaging industry and improving lives around the world. At Amcor, we unpack possibility through our innovative and responsible packaging to provide solutions that benefit our customers, our people and our planet. More than 10,000 consumers worldwide encounter our products every second and rely on us for safe access to food, medicine and other goods. We value their trust by making safety our guiding principle. It’s our core value and integral to how we do business.

Beyond this core principle, our shared values and behaviors unite us as we work together to elevate customers, shape lives and protect the future. We champion our customers and help them succeed. We play to win – adapting quickly in an everchanging world – and make smart choices to safeguard our business, our communities and the people we serve for generations to come. And we invest in our world-class team, empowering our colleagues to unpack their potential, because we believe when our people grow, so does our business.

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Job Description

The Global Materials team works to create, enhance, standardize and simplify the use of raw materials across the Amcor Flexible enterprise. These activities enable Amcor to innovate new solutions, optimize cost/performance of existing designs to achieve short- and long-term results. The team partners with R&D and Business stakeholders to develop a raw material evaluation strategy that maximizes Amcor supply continuity, minimizes cost structure and ensures manufacturability to delight our customers and enhance Amcor’s global capabilities.

Amcor’s raw materials are divided into three primary categories: resins, webs (paper, film & foil) and liquids (coatings, adhesives). The R&D Manager is assigned global responsibility for one of these three categories and leads a team which will partner with procurement, raw material vendors and R&D to plan and execute materials development programs. The R&D Manager will develop relationships with key global vendors to understand existing products and technical capabilities. This leader will also lead a team responsible for standardized prequalification testing of new raw materials and communication of new materials learnings within global R&D

What you get to do

• Safety & Compliance
• Act as a safety leader and promote safety culture by positively communicating safety concerns to co-workers, leaders, visitors
• Ensure raw material development, testing, and qualification meet all applicable safety, regulatory, and compliance requirements globally.
• Global Flexibles Resins Strategy
• Develop and lead execution of a balanced resins portfolio, delivering value through people, processes and tools
• Accountable for raw material pre-qualification protocols, driving cost competitiveness and simplification objectives
• Identify and address material characterization development gaps, ensuring standard methods, data analysis and proper documentation are maintained
• Ensure a globally connected, business-aligned and team-focused operating cadence
• Develop, deploy and sustain practices, processes and methodologies – ensuring training and knowledge management
• Ensure team is using targeted business systems and tools (SAP, SMS, SharePoint, TaskRay, etc.)
• Cost Optimization & Simplification
• Identify and recommend cost out and simplification opportunities, leveraging knowledge of materials and global flexibles portfolio
• Collaborate with Procurement and Operations to align cost out and simplification objectives cross-functionally
• Lead laboratory and pilot assessment of new raw materials resulting in recommendations for BG or Global programs
• Drive identification and execution of repatriation opportunities in resins and resin concentrates, including capital recommendations
• Strategic Supplier Partnerships
• Build and maintain relationships with key raw material vendors
• Understand vendor capabilities for laboratory / pilot testing and commercial production
• Collaborate with suppliers to understand new raw material technologies and align supplier development roadmaps
• Leverage vendor resources to accelerate Amcor development programs
• Provide recommendations to procurement and R&D leadership on strategic partnerships that support long-term business objectives
• Coordinate and report out on development activities with top global vendors
• Organizational & Talent Leadership
• Act as subject-matter expert in assigned category
• Teach others in the organization about material properties, characterization methods and vendor capabilities
• Lead global communications meetings to share new findings and best practices globally
• Work across the R&D function to identify and propose new methods and technology that advance Amcor development capabilities globally
• Ensure Global Resins strategy aligns and supports short and long-term Advanced Analytic capabilities, advancing data dr

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field (Master’s or PhD preferred).
• 5-10 years experience in R&D Materials Development in flexible packaging or related manufacturing industries.
• Proven experience working in a global, matrixed organization with Procurement, Engineering, and external suppliers.
• Strong track record in raw material innovation, cost optimization, and portfolio simplification initiatives.
• Experience leading or managing centralized technical centers or laboratory organizations is highly desirable.

Our Expectations We expect our people to be guided by The Amcor Way and demonstrate our Values every day to enable the business to win. We are winning when:

• Our people are engaged and developing as part of a high-performing Amcor team
• Our customers grow and prosper from Amcor’s quality, service, and innovation
• Our investors benefit from Amcor’s consistent growth and superior returns
• The environment is better off because of Amcor’s leadership and products

Equal Opportunity Employer/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Veterans/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity Amcor is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you would like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please click on the "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal" Poster. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please call 224-313-7000 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

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Benefits

When you join Amcor, you will have access to a comprehensive benefits and compensation package that includes:

• Medical, dental and vision plans
• Flexible time off, starting at 80 hours paid time per year for full-time salaried employees
• Company-paid holidays starting at 8 days per year and may vary by location
• Wellbeing program & Employee Assistance Program
• Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
• Life insurance, AD&D, short-term & long-term disability, and voluntary benefits
• Paid Parental Leave
• Retirement Savings Plan with company match
• Tuition Reimbursement (dependent upon approval)
• Discretionary annual bonus program (initial eligibility dependent upon hire date)