Purpose of the Role:

The Director, Research & Development is responsible for leading a multidisciplinary R&D; organization to develop, commercialize and support innovative chemical and chemical-digital solutions for core businesses, including Paper, Water, Leather and related specialty chemical applications.

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead new technology development and commercialization.

- Help develop and execute the global R&D; strategy and the roadmap
- Ensure excellence in project management across teams; effectively use Project management to manage portfolio, resource allocation and project prioritization
- Use innovation process to drive idea generation, project initiation, project justification, execution and portfolio management

Lead the creation of new products and technologies and their introduction into the marketplace by setting challenging objectives for the team

• Ensure development and commercialization of chem-digi projects

• Ensure clear visibility to executive level on all strategic projects

• Represent the Department around intellectual property discussions and IP lifecycle management with the Legal Department 1 V2 kg 2.26.25

Lead Critical Innovation Research Product Launches

• Ensure all pre-launch systems have been successful in functional testing

• Ensure clear and consistent communication across multiple cross functional workstreams

• Ensure clear visibility to executive level on all strategic projects

• Use virtual collaborative tools to build highly effective global water teams • Leading the hiring of all key water resources • Leading onboarding new water resources

Lead Chemical Digital Offering Launches

• Ensure pre-launch products pass pre-launch validation and testing





• Ensure relevant revenue numbers are established across projects

• Challenge and discuss progress on launches with Business Units and R&D; personnel

• Validate link between chemical and digital systems

Work Cross Functionally to offer a Relevant Project Portfolio for different Businesses

• Lead the selection of relevant chemistries, sensors, and control strategies to differentiate our chemical offering

• Lead the water research team to fully understand and develop differentiated water treatment chemistries in scale control, corrosion control, biofouling control, flocculation and coagulation.

• Lead the water research team to fully understand the water treatment technologies and develop differentiated offerings in cooling water, boiler water, pretreatment, and wastewater treatment applications

• Lead Paper research team to develop differentiated offerings in defoamers, polymers and enzymes

• Ensure excellence in project management across teams

• Help develop and execute our global R&D; strategy and roadmap

People and Talent Management -

Responsible for talent recruiting, training, development and performance management

• Promote a winning team culture that is motivated and accountable

• Promote innovation, quality, and a solution mindset focus

• Lead the justification, hiring, onboarding of R&D; associates

• Manage, coach,



and develop R&D; associates

• Conduct regular performance discussion, performance reviews; coach & provide regular feedback • Use outcome based KPMs to drive Performance management and improvement

Contribute to a High Performing R&D; Leadership Team

• Collaborate with other R&D; leaders to accomplish common objectives

• Provide leadership outside of your focus area

• Hold peers accountable for accomplishing objectives • Create strong relationships within the team

• Live the principles of a highly performing team

Key Outcomes:

- Deliver a relevant and commercially viable R&D; project portfolio.

- Accelerate launch readiness and commercialization.

- Strengthen differentiated technology capability.

- Build and retain a high-performing R&D; team.

- Improve project governance, executive visibility, portfolio discipline, lab safety and documentation practices.

Qualifications and Experience:

- More than 10 years of related industrial research and R&D; management experience.

- Experience in industrial water treatment, paper and/or specialty chemicals areas is required.

- Advanced chemical and mechanistic knowledge in scale, corrosion, biofouling, flocculation and coagulation processes.

- Robust communications skills across all functions and levels of the organization.

- International experience and managing global stakeholders.

- Proven record of direct and indirect management of resources and teams.

- Good business and financial acumen.

Core Competencies:

- Drives Results, Cultivates Innovation, Builds Effective Teams, Collaborates, Organizational Savvy, Strategic Mindset, Business Acumen, Resilience.

📌 Global Director Research & Development (Chennai)
🏢 Antal International
📍 Chennai