Market Development Specialist

KURARAY AMERICA INC • La Porte, TX • 1d ago

Title: Market Development Specialist

Location: Pasadena, TX

Who we are:

Voted one of the Nation's Best and Brightest Companies to Work for, Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI)

is a global leader in specialty chemical, fiber, and resin production. With top-of-the-line research and production facilities and a vast network of supplies from around the world, Kuraray leads the industry in specialty dental, fiber, resin, and elastomer products. Kuraray America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuraray Company, Ltd. Based in Tokyo, Japan. Kuraray has operations in 32 countries and employs more than 11,000 employees, including over 800 in the United States.

Why Kuraray:

Kuraray is building a better tomorrow, today. Our team members are dedicated to expanding our business with committed professionals who share essential values such as integrity, excellence, teamwork, and accountability.

As a part of Kuraray America, Inc., our team shares the advantages of working for the leader in specialty chemicals, resins, and fibers. Our international presence and resources allow us to be a world-leading innovator in the industries we service. Yet, despite our size, our people are more than just a number. As a new team member, you can expect to earn responsibility quickly. Our commitment to our people is visible in our comprehensive benefits package. As a Kuraray team member, you will have the opportunity to enjoy competitive salaries and benefits, incentive opportunities, and an excellent work environment.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a Market Development Specialist to drive the growth of EVAL and PLANTIC across the Americas within our Technical Service and Development (TSandD) organization. This hybrid role integrates polymer technical service, food science, and market development expertise. The Specialist will engage with brand owners to showcase the sustainable advantages of EVAL and PLANTIC, guiding them through the evaluation process to commercialization in innovative food packaging or other industrial applications. Success in this role requires a strong foundation in materials and polymer processing, flexible packaging structure development, food stability testing, and the ability to assess packaging performance-particularly in meeting or exceeding brand expectations for recyclable solutions compared to traditional, non-recyclable high-performance laminates. The primary objective is to identify new market opportunities, support product launches, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to advance innovation, sustainability, and growth, with a strong emphasis on food packaging.

Responsibilities:

Technical and Environmental Support

Grow the value of EVAL and Plantic products by representing the company in industry associations, positioning them as strong solutions in various aspects of the circular economy.

Collaborate with the marketing communications team to create appropriate commercial communications, targeted advertising, and other promotional tactics to position EVAL as the barrier leader in all segments.

Coordinate the approvals of such public communications locally with the KAI EVAL leadership team and globally with the corresponding counterparts in Kuraray Japan.

Conduct extrusion trials on pilot scale equipment to process EVOH in the form of film or cast samples

Execute manual or coordinate automatic form, seal, and fill packaging to test the performance of the elucidated proto@types.

Interpretation of results regarding oxygen and moisture barrier, mechanical properties, and sealing curves.

Generate application data, technical reports, and training materials for customers and internal stakeholders.

Market and Business Development

Research global market trends, consumer demands, benchmark studies, recycling standards, and sustainability drivers.

Support new product introductions with market analysis and application demonstrations in the form of customer presentations.

Identify new market opportunities for EVAL and PLANTIC in food and pharma packaging as well as in industrial applications. The focus of this role is food packaging.

Work closely with the TSandD to develop a solution with Sales to close opportunities and Marketing Communication teams to celebrate successes when pursuing new market opportunities

Collaborate with the value chain (brand owners, converters, processors, machine and resins suppliers, as well as food manufacturers) to develop case studies that demonstrate the value proposition of EVAL and PLANTIC.

Food Science and Innovation

Design food stability experiments using EVAL and PLANTIC packaging technologies to demonstrate benefits compared to traditional packaging

Apply food science expertise to evaluate product aging and redesign packaging to optimize shelf-life performance and/or quality preservation.

Report results of the food stability tests as tools for market development when facing customers or brand owners.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

Travel (30-40%) to customer and brand owner sites, conferences, and international meetings.

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