At Kensing, we work together to improve the quality of life of our clients, their customers, and each other. It shows in our dedication to collaboration, in our commitment to teamwork, and in the culture of pride and respect each of us strives to exhibit day after day.

We combine the deep heritage of our Kankakee plant with a commitment to leading the world in safety and purity, along with an eagerness for expansion. If you are passionate about innovation, about improving products and lives, we want to hear from you. At Kensing, we have a bright future ahead. You can be a part of it.

As the Technical Product Manager (Surfactants Chemist) for Kensing, LLC, you will be an invaluable part of Kensing’s technical and regulatory team. This role is part of the Global Commercial Team and will report to the Global Director of Technical Marketing & Regulatory Affairs.
The Technical Product Manager is a significant contributor to the success and growth of the product line, business, and company. The role will assume responsibility for three vital functions for the surfactants and specialty esters business and their key customers in personal care, cosmetics, and HI&I. The technical product manager contributes directly to both customer satisfaction and sales growth by providing technical support to customers, salespeople, and marketing. He or she will also support manufacturing, assisting in resolution of any quality or processing issues. And finally, he or she will be responsible for driving new product development – from ideation to product launch into the market.
The role is broad, highly visible, fast paced, has both immediate and long-term impact, and represents an opportunity to join a growing entity – which has the excitement of a startup – but where the product line, the customer base, and the market recognition is outstanding.

Key responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Provide technical and marketing support to enable growth of surfactants and specialty esters business
• Drive development of our new product pipeline, including customer-specific solutions
• Be the “Owner” of the surfactant product line specifications and management of associated documentation and projects
• Define specification and release criteria for products in collaboration with QA
• Establish technical product data and documentation
• Support customer questionnaires and Kensing customer communications
• Support customer technical questions – specification, product application, production, release testing, quality, etc.
• Support/accompany sales with technical calls with customers
• Understand regulations and compliances for surfactant product lines and support regulatory communications
• Technical lead for innovation and R&D projects – product development and analytical assessments
• Surfactant application lab testing – rheology, viscosity, pH, foaming, wetting, cleaning, etc.
• Provide technical support for raw material qualifications
• Support resolution of non-conformances (NC) and be the lead contact for customer until NC resolved
• Provide technical support for operations/production for all continuous improvement related projects
• Provide technical support to marketing/sales for product lines presentations, sales sheets, and collaterals for trade shows
• Work with business and marketing to create unique value propositions for our products, including testing of products
• Propose new ideas and develop solutions to support market needs and provide differentiators
• Ensure effective project execution and high success rate to meet timelines

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in scientific field (e.g., chemistry, physical chemistry) with minimum 7- 10 years of industry experience in sulfates and betaines surfactants for personal care and home care applications

Key Requirements

• A global expert in sulfates and Betaines surfactant systems
• Proven ability to support product development from chemical process developments to application
• Proven experience in personal care and home care application laboratory
• Strong data analysis and statistical analysis capabilities
• Good understanding of Personal Care and home care regulations in NA
• Genuine interest and proven contribution to ESG
• Previous project leadership experience
• Experience with document management systems
• Strong Excel and Power Point skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills Excellent organizational skills
• Proven ability to multi-task and work under tight deadlines
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with multiple teams in a fast-paced environment
• Entrepreneur and self-starter

Kensing is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, military status, or disability status.