Technical Administrator - Innovation & R&D

Innovations and Industrialisation Technologist
Location: Bridgwater, Somerset
Salary: £45,000–£55,000 + benefits
Working Pattern: Full-time | 1 day WFH after probation
Relocation: Package may be available for the right candidate

The Role
My client is looking for an experienced Innovations & Industrialisation Technologist to join their Innovations team, working between Innovation and Operations to take new products from concept and development through laboratory and pilot trials, scale-up, industrialisation and full commercial production.
This is a hands-on role for someone with a proven track record of successfully scaling products from development to commercial manufacture, ideally within textiles, nonwovens or a similar manufacturing environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead product and material development through to commercialisation.
• Plan and lead laboratory, pilot and full-scale plant trials.
• Develop scale-up and industrialisation strategies.
• Optimise processes and establish critical process parameters and controls.
• Lead technology transfer from Innovation into Operations.
• Ensure products are ready for safe, efficient and repeatable manufacture.
• Provide technical support, root-cause analysis and problem solving.
• Analyse trial data and drive continuous improvement.
• Produce technical documentation, specifications and trial reports.
• Work closely with Innovation, Operations, Quality, Engineering and customers.

About You

• Proven experience taking products from development through scale-up to full commercialisation.
• Strong experience in plant trials, process optimisation and technology transfer.
• Ideally from textiles, nonwovens or a similar manufacturing environment.
• Relevant degree in Textile Technology, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemistry, Engineering or a related discipline.
• Knowledge of fibres, binders, polymers and/or processing chemicals.
• Experience with nonwovens, technical textiles or advanced materials is advantageous.
• Hands-on, analytical and commercially aware, with confidence working on the manufacturing floor.
• Strong communication, ownership and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable
Experience with web formation, bonding, coating, impregnation, converting, chemically bonded or needle-punched nonwovens, plus Lean, Continuous Improvement or Six Sigma.

Alternative Job Titles
Industrialisation Technologist, Industrialisation Engineer, Product Development Technologist, R&D Technologist, Materials Technologist, Textile Technologist, Nonwovens Technologist, Process Development Technologist, Process Development Engineer, Manufacturing Technologist, Product Development Engineer, R&D Scientist / Development Scientist, Materials Scientist, Polymer Technologist / Polymer Scientist, Technical Development Specialist, NPD Technologist, Innovation Technologist
The Opportunity
A great opportunity to take innovative products from concept through development, scale-up and into successful commercial manufacture, within a growing, high-performance manufacturing environment.
Commutable from: Taunton, Exeter, Weston-super-Mare, and surrounding areas.