Senior Group Leader - Optical Monomers & Coatings

Senior Group Leader - Optical Monomers & Coatings

PPG Industries

Pittsburgh

Are you ready for a leadership role in the cutting-edge world of optical technology? We are seeking an experienced Senior Group Leader to drive innovation and growth in our Optical Monomers & Coatings team. The leader will also be responsible for overseeing Teslin. Based at our Monroeville Business & Technology Center, this role offers an exciting opportunity to lead the whole scope of S&T efforts from early-stage innovation through product development, launch, and ongoing technical support of ophthalmic lens products. You'll also help shape our business development strategy in growing adjacency areas, such as augmented reality, smart eyewear, and additive manufacturing. In the optical space, close collaboration with customers and partners is critical to jointly address complex technical challenges.

In this customer-facing position, you will work closely with technical teams and clients to solve real-world challenges, partnering on sustainability, performance enhancement, and new monomer and coating functionality. As a key cross-functional interface, you'll collaborate with commercial leadership to ensure our technology strategy aligns with broader business goals. This role reports directly to the Global Technical Director of Specialty Products, ensuring a close connection between technical leadership and business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the optical technology portfolio and innovation pipeline (excluding photochromic products), guiding the team from ideation through new product development and product launch.

• Lead a sizeable team of 7-8 direct reports and 21 indirect reports. You will oversee four main sub-teams focused on lens casting process development, optical coatings, and new material synthesis and formulation. The fourth team is Teslin.

• Provide expert technical service to customers, troubleshooting manufacturing issues and ensuring optimal performance of PPG products often with on-site support.

• Develop and coach the diverse team, fostering talent growth and ensuring high performance and engagement.

• Manage the IP portfolio and competitive position, overseeing filings, freedom-to-operate decisions, portfolio strategy, and government funding considerations.

• Serve as a key business liaison, working daily with optical business leaders, including the General Manager for Specialty Products and Global Business Director for Optical, as well as segment managers, manufacturing leads, and sustainability teams.

• Ensure the overall success of the optical group, closely aligning technical objectives and timelines with business goals for a portfolio of projects moving through the stage-gate process for new product introduction.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Engineering, or Materials Science (strongly preferred) with >10 years of experience in research, product development, and/or manufacturing.

• Proven supervisory experience, managing and developing small to medium-sized teams working on complex, multi-phase projects.

• Portfolio management expertise, with a solid understanding of prioritization and consensus-based decision making across projects.

• Strong business acumen, with the ability to work effectively with senior business leaders to ensure proper project resourcing aligned with commercial objectives.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of fostering cross-functional collaboration and presenting to senior executives.

• Experience with IP management and strategic decision-making in a technical environment where legal consultation is critical.

• The role requires travel up to 25% as needed, including both domestic and international travel. Travel to PPG manufacturing sites, suppliers, customers, federal and academic institutions is necessary for success in the role.

About us:

Here at PPG, we make it happen, and we seek candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our values, with the commitment and drive to strive today to do better than yesterday - everyday.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD

Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com and follow @ PPG on Twitter.

The PPG Way

Every single day at PPG:

We partner with customers to create mutual value.

We are "One PPG" to the world.

We trust our people every day, in every way.

We make it happen.

We run it like we own it.

We do better today than yesterday - everyday.

PPG provides equal opportunity to all candidates and employees. We offer an opportunity to grow and develop your career in an environment that provides a fulfilling workplace for employees, creates an environment for continuous learning, and embraces the ideas and diversity of others. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, pregnancy, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, disability status, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. If you need assistance to complete your application due to a disability, please email recruiting@ppg.com.

PPG values your feedback on our recruiting process. We encourage you to visit Glassdoor.com and provide feedback on the process, so that we can do better today than yesterday.

Benefits will be discussed with you by your recruiter during the hiring process.