Chemical Manufacturing Product Manager Microbial Protection

Ashland Specialty Ingredients, GP

Product Manager Microbial Protection

Are you the kind of person that is always thinking, sketching, seeking, and adjusting? Who needs to understand how things work and then figure out how they can work better? Are you a passionate, tenacious, solver who loves to work with others who share your drive? Are you positive, constructive, and ingenious?

Are you always solving?

Then we’d like to meet you and bet you’d like to meet us.

Ashland has an exciting opportunity as Product Manager of our Microbial Protection Business Line within Ashland’s Personal Care business in the USA (hybrid/ remote). This is a high visibility, significant role within Ashland and the personal care business. This position will report to the General Manager for Microbial Protection.

**Preference for candidates living on the East Coast including PA, NJ, MA, DE**

The responsibilities of the position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Collaborate with global and regional marketing, operations, supply chain, procurement, regulatory, and commercial teams to achieve profit goals.
• Support annual business planning process, review and advise the marketing and sales teams on volume, costs, and capacity.
• Partner with global and regional marketing on portfolio optimization, NPI, product lifecycle SKU rationalization
• Allocation of material & production prioritization on constrained assets (Controlled Distribution)
• Conduct capacity studies and portfolio optimization actions (streamlining of products, specification changes, etc.)
• Manage tolling relationships.
• Liaison with supply chain, manufacturing, and regulatory to manage daily S&OP activities (i.e. forecast validation)
• Ownership and understanding of VCER and advising on the needs of the commercial side and the likelihood of approval.
• Manage customer communications regarding packaging changes, obsoleting, and supply issues (for example, force majeure, asset optimization, etc.)
• Management of portfolio product lifecycle including SMOG materials

In order to be qualified for this role, you must possess the following:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a technical discipline such as Chemical Engineering or Chemistry or equivalent experience in a technical chemical manufacturing field (5 years minimum)
• 5 years experience in a product management role preference to those with chemical manufacturing of personal care or raw ingredients experience
• Strong influence management skills
• Industry background in batch and continuous chemical process manufacturing
• Demonstrated ability to analyze market trends, usage data, and customer feedback to develop and communicate strategic vision for products
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Thorough understanding of or the ability to quickly learn about the project or product being developed
• Build strong relationships with both internal and external customers and colleagues
• Strong verbal communication skills to speak to customers and delivery team members daily as well as good written communication skills
• Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with peers and colleagues across the organization, as well as, internal and external clients
• Ability to work well autonomously and within a team in a fast-paced and deadline-oriented environment.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Ability to travel ~ 20%

The following skill sets are preferred by the business unit:

• Experience working in Personal Care and antimicrobial industry
• Experience working in a manufacturing or supply chain role