Technical Manager - Papermaking (USA)
What We Offer:
• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance effective the 1st of the month following start date
• 401K 100% match at 5% 1st of the month following start date
• Health & Wellness reimbursements
• Employee Family Assistant Programs
• Product purchase program
• Opportunities to take part in job-related training and development
• Growth and progression opportunities within the larger J. D. Irving group of companies
• Relocation cost (if applicable)
Product Improvement
Own the basesheet development initiatives that are part of the 3‑year papermaking product development roadmap for assigned categories
Own trial design, success criteria, and recommendation
Author trial charters and experimental plans with success criteria; execute validation runs and oversee sample/test plans
Convert consumer and lab results into clear go/no‑go recommendations for product development reviews with Product Management/Quality/Marketing/Executive Leadership
Define Specifications & Critical to Quality parameters
Innovation
Execute & support Sales/Marketing product innovation initiatives
Drive changes and develop processes to enhance products / margin
Lead external trials and evaluations with suppliers and labs (chemistry, fabrics, papermaking, converting, analytical testing)
Ensure NDA and data‑handling compliance with vendors
Investigate and implement new technologies
Influence changes, ideas, and developments
Regularly benchmark vs. competitive/National brands to understand positioning and areas for improvement
Support
Provide multi‑site technical support for quality and runnability
Provide technical support to customers / quality systems
Provide support for significant operational and quality issues directly at the sites
Ability to analyze and interpret data to drive to root cause of technical issues
Mentor junior engineers
Engage and influence all levels of the company
Lead technical seminars for our operational/process staff.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical field (Chemical or Pulp & Paper preferred), or equivalent experience
- 10–15 years of tissue/towel papermaking experience, including TAD technology, process optimization, and trial/experimental design
- Experience in R&D, Product Development, and/or Quality
- Strong knowledge of papermaking processes; pulp mill process knowledge is an asset
- Proficiency in experimental design, statistics, data analysis, visualization, and root cause problem solving
- Project management experience, including A3 and Gantt chart methodologies
- Strong leadership, coaching, mentoring, and communication skills across all organizational levels