Product Manager - Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers in St. Paul, Minnesota at Interplastic Corporation

Product Manager – Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers

Location: Vadnais Heights, MN (On-site)

What is IP Corporation?

IP Corporation is a privately held, family-owned chemical manufacturing organization with more than 70 years of stability, innovation, and growth. Headquartered in Minnesota, IP Corporation supports a portfolio of operating companies that manufacture and distribute resins, gel coats, composite materials, and specialty polymer solutions used across a wide range of industrial applications.

Our operating companies—Interplastic Corporation, North American Composites, HK Research, and Molding Products—work together to deliver technical expertise, high-quality products, and long-term partnerships to customers around the world. We are known for our customer-first mindset, strong technical capabilities, and collaborative culture built on trust, accountability, and continuous improvement.

What is a Product Manager – Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers?

The Product Manager – Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers is responsible for driving the strategic direction, commercial success, and lifecycle management of IP Corporation's portfolio of formulated vinyl ester resins and other specialty polymer products. This role serves as the central connection between customers, sales, R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, and regulatory teams to ensure products meet evolving market needs while delivering profitable growth.

Reporting to the Sr. Business Manager – Specialty Polymers, the Product Manager will translate customer application requirements and market insights into product strategies, support new product development, optimize existing formulations, and help guide pricing, forecasting, and portfolio decisions. This position requires a strong combination of commercial acumen, technical expertise, and cross-functional leadership.

What You'll Do as a Product Manager – Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers:

Product & Portfolio Management

• Manage the full lifecycle of assigned vinyl ester and specialty polymer product lines, from concept and development through commercialization, optimization, and product retirement.
• Develop and execute product roadmaps aligned with business strategy, customer needs, manufacturing capabilities, and market trends.
• Define product positioning, value propositions, target applications, and performance objectives.
• Conduct regular portfolio reviews to identify opportunities for new products, line extensions, reformulations, cost optimization, and portfolio rationalization.
• Support new product introductions by partnering with cross-functional teams throughout development and commercialization.

Customer & Market Leadership

• Serve as the voice of the customer by translating application requirements into actionable product development priorities.
• Partner with Sales and Technical Service to support customer visits, technical discussions, product evaluations, and application trials.
• Act as the primary technical and commercial subject matter expert for vinyl ester and specialty polymer products.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive activity, feedstock markets, and emerging technologies to identify growth opportunities and mitigate business risks.
• Develop a deep understanding of customer applications, processing requirements, regulatory considerations, and performance expectations.

Commercial & Financial Management

• Support pricing strategies that balance customer value, market competitiveness, raw material costs, and profitability.
• Monitor product line performance including sales volume, margin, profitability, and market share.
• Provide forecasting input and actively participate in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) activities.
• Develop business cases supporting new product development, reformulation initiatives, and capital investments.
• Recommend actions to improve product profitability and long-term portfolio performance.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with R&D, Manufacturing, Procurement, Quality, Supply Chain, Regulatory, and Commercial teams to execute product strategies.
• Translate market requirements into clearly defined technical development objectives and product specifications.
• Ensure formulations are scalable, manufacturable, cost-effective, and aligned with operational capabilities.
• Support product launches by developing technical documentation, product positioning materials, customer communications, and internal training resources.

Technical & Regulatory Support

• Maintain strong technical knowledge of resin chemistry, formulated systems, additives, fillers, pigments, inhibitors, and curing technologies.
• Support product stewardship initiatives by ensuring compliance with applicable environmental, regulatory, and safety requirements.
• Lead or support reformulation efforts driven by regulatory changes, raw material availability, supply disruptions, or cost reduction initiatives.
• Partner with laboratory and technical service teams to support product validation, troubleshooting, and field performance improvements.

What We're Looking For in a Product Manager – Vinyl Ester & Specialty Polymers:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related technical field.
• Five (5) or more years of experience within specialty chemicals, formulated products, resin manufacturing, or related industries.
• Experience in Product Management, Technical Marketing, Applications Engineering, or another customer-facing technical/commercial role.
• Strong understanding of product lifecycle management and commercial product strategy.
• Knowledge of resin markets, application requirements, and value-based selling principles.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
• Excellent analytical, communication, organizational, and project management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel and PowerPoint.

Preferred

• Experience working with vinyl ester, unsaturated polyester (UPR), epoxy, gel coat, or other thermoset resin formulations.
• Experience with pricing strategies, feedstock volatility, and raw material sourcing within specialty chemical markets.
• Product line P&L or margin management experience.
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing operations or global product portfolios.
• MBA or advanced technical degree.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong commercial mindset supported by technical credibility.
• Ability to balance customer needs with manufacturing capabilities, supply constraints, and profitability objectives.
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective problem-solving and data-driven decision-making skills.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building abilities across cross-functional teams.
• Ability to influence decisions and drive alignment without direct reporting authority.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and adapting to changing market conditions.

Working Conditions:

• Office-based position with regular interaction across laboratory, manufacturing, and corporate environments.
• Periodic travel to manufacturing facilities, customers, and industry events as business needs require.
• Occasional exposure to manufacturing and laboratory environments requiring appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Why Join IP Corporation?

• Be part of a stable, privately held organization with long-term market presence
• Competitive benefits including medical, dental, vision, generous PTO, and 401(k) with company match
• Opportunity to make an impact in a collaborative, values-driven organization

IP Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with applicable laws.

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