About the Role

Flexsys is seeking a Market Development Manager to lead innovation projects from idea through commercialization — bringing new materials and solutions to the global tire industry. This is an entrepreneurial, market-facing role: you own the business case, the customer relationships, the competitive intelligence, and the cross-functional coordination needed to move innovations from concept to commercial success. You are not the bench scientist or IP strategist — those are your partners. Your mandate is everything external: identifying where the market is headed, building the relationships and insights that define what Flexsys should develop, and driving each innovation to a successful launch.

The ideal candidate is a technically grounded commercial leader — someone who can earn credibility at a tire plant engineering meeting in the morning and present a compelling business case to senior leadership in the afternoon. You will operate in a matrixed global organization, leading through influence, and thrive on converting deep market insight into tangible business growth.

Key Responsibilities

You will lead a single, accountable cross-functional team that moves each project from idea to launch, with no hand-off between silos. Your ownership maps to the stage-gate phases as follows:

Discovery & Concept

Hunt for opportunities;   capture voice-of-customer insight; identify unmet needs and competitive   alternatives; perform initial market and technical scoping.

Build the Business Case

Lead primary market   research and VoC; clarify the value proposition; build the economic and   financial analysis; define positioning and the path forward.

Development

Coordinate the   cross-functional team while technical partners run the bench work; maintain   market alignment; run parallel commercial and operations planning.

Testing & Validation

Manage customer trials and   field validation at tire makers; confirm the market will accept the   innovation and the value proposition holds.

Launch

Lead go-to-market planning   — positioning, messaging, pricing, demand generation — and transition into   routine business management / sales.

Across All Phases You Will:

• Lead the cross-functional team (technical, IP, operations, finance, marketing, sales) through each gate — coordinating activities, resolving roadblocks, and keeping the project on strategy.

• Own the external market view — customer unmet needs, competitive alternatives, market sizing, emerging trends, and the evolving dynamics of the global tire value chain.

• Build and manage an active opportunity pipeline — identifying, qualifying, and prioritizing new market opportunities with rigor and commercial discipline.

• Build and defend the business case — economic analysis, pricing, revenue forecasts, and the value proposition presented to gatekeepers and leadership.

• Drive structured voice-of-customer programs and embed early customer validation throughout the innovation process — not just at launch.

• Evaluate emerging technologies and adjacent materials to identify potential new applications and disruptive opportunities for Flexsys.

• Coordinate marketing communications and go-to-market deliverables in partnership with the marketing function.

• Represent Flexsys externally at customer sites, trade shows, and industry events to build relationships and gather market intelligence.

We recognize that the full profile is rare. We are looking for a strong technical-commercial hybrid and are willing to develop the candidate on whichever leg is less mature. Required items are essential; preferred items strengthen an application but can be developed on the job.

Required

• Bachelor's degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, polymer science, or a related technical field.

• 5+ years in a technical-commercial role — new business or market development, commercialization, or technical marketing — in specialty chemicals, polymers, advanced materials, or an adjacent B2B industry.

• Demonstrated ability to identify unmet customer needs, articulate compelling value propositions, and build defensible business cases.

• A true hunter mentality: consistently proactive in pursuing new market opportunities and expanding commercial reach.

• Experience leading cross-functional teams through a structured stage-gate innovation process in a matrixed organization.

• Ability to convert technical expertise into actionable market insights that inform strategy and drive partnerships.

• Strong economic and financial analysis skills; capable of building models that make data talk.

• Excellent communication and executive presentation skills — written, verbal, and visual.

• Willingness to travel to customers and industry events (estimate 25–50%).

Preferred

• Direct experience at a tire maker, or with tire additives, rubber chemistry, and the tire value chain.

• Familiarity with marketing communications (marcom), go-to-market launch planning, and value-based selling.

• Experience in a regulated industry where customer qualification, compliance, and supply reliability are part of commercialization.

• Advanced degree (MS / PhD / MBA) in a technical or business discipline.

• Established network within the tire, rubber, or specialty-chemicals industry.

What Success Looks Like

• New market opportunities are identified ahead of competitors and converted into funded, well-scoped innovation projects with credible business cases.

• Customer relationships at target tire manufacturers are deep and active — structured VoC is continuous, and insights are visibly shaping the innovation agenda.

• Innovation projects advance cleanly through each stage-gate and launch on time, backed by validated customer demand.

• The opportunity pipeline is active, prioritized, and trusted by leadership as an accurate picture of where Flexsys is headed.

• Flexsys grows revenue through differentiated, customer-driven materials innovation in the global tires market.