Verdeco – R&D Director | Zach Ernest
R&D Director
PET
Polyethylene Terephthalate
- PET is a versatile material, superior for package design and peformance.
- Known for clarity, light-weight, oxygen barrier qualities and as an unbreakable competitor to glass and other plastics.
- Nearly 2 Billion pounds of PET is recycled each year in North America and reprocessed as rPET into new products including:
- Packaging
- Bottles
- Clothing
- Carpet
- rPET is now one of the most widely sought-after materials for packaging by major companies in Food & Beverage and Consumer Packaged Goods. Verdeco Recycling is well positioned as a leading innovator in rPET solutions for high demand applications.
The Process
- 1) The process begins with clean, hot-washed PET flake, from reliable suppliers.
- 2) The material goes through a process of crystallization, melt extrusion, decontamination and pelletized into FDA approved rPET pellets.
- 3) Through innovative processing and material formulations, the rPET is well matched for high-value applications within consumer, food & beverage packaging where clarity & quality are key.
- 4) Focusing on customer specifications and solving complex formulation challenges, means the ability to deliver consistent, high-quality products.
Rinse & Repeat!
About The Position
The Research & Development Director is responsible for developing and commercializing custom polymer formulations and driving innovation within Verdeco’s growing line of rPET material solutions. This critical role will lead the R&D and Quality Labs at the manufacturing facilities and play an active role in the future development of a corporate innovation center.
This position will play a critical role in the development of custom rPET products for packaging and other high value applications.
Working alongside customers, you will provide hands on formulations of next generation solutions for market challenges and position the organization as a leader in this emerging technology. You will be seen as the Subject Matter Expert internally & externally and expected to stay informed of related industry advancements.
Primary Responsibilities
– Hands on formulations to meet market demands and to solve challenges presented by specific applications.
– Identify opportunities and develop new products to pro-actively commercialize and take to market
– Develop consistent KPI’s across the organization’s lab locations and manage team performance accordingly
– Work with customers on specific applications and create custom rPET formulations to meet product demands
– Manage R&D and Quality Labs and team members
– Work with senior leadership and sales & marketing to identify opportunities for innovation
– Travel as needed to company facilities and customers
– Work with customers to resolve and prevent quality issues
Preferred Qualifications
– Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry (or similar) is required and an advanced technical degree is desired
– Experience in custom polymer formulations of thermoplastic materials. rPET, PET, PE experience helpful, as is experience working with packaging applications.
– Experience working with customers, vendors and internal commercial team
– Ability to drive innovation and assume role as an SME
– Experience in hiring, developing, training and managing R&D personnel
