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The Senior Director, Materials Science & Engineering is a global leader responsible for setting the strategic direction, development roadmap, and operational excellence of Gates’ materials science portfolio. This role leads multiple director- and manager-level teams across rubber, non-rubber, reinforcement/fabric, and materials engineering, ensuring the organization delivers world-class materials solutions that strengthen Gates’ competitive position. This role defines and executes multi-year, global strategies for materials innovation, standardization, and manufacturability—partnering closely with Product and Process Development, Operations, Procurement, and regional Innovation and Engineering organizations.
Job Responsibility:
Sets the global strategy for materials science and engineering, establishing multi-year roadmaps that enable future product, process, and manufacturing competitiveness
Anticipates industry and technology trends and translates them into actionable plans
Ensures programs are resourced, prioritized, and delivered on schedule
Leads global engineering groups to deliver standardized, cost-competitive, high-performance materials
Drives best practices in formulation, testing, and manufacturing across regions
Ensures alignment between materials engineering, operations, and product development
Leads and develops director- and manager-level teams globally
Oversees talent strategy, organizational design, and budget management
Resolves complex technical challenges using structured methodologies
Makes data-driven decisions balancing feasibility, business impact, and risk
Serves as a senior advisor to Product and Process Development
Provides technical direction to Operations and Process Engineering
Leads multiple manager-level positions across global materials teams, including rubber, non-rubber, reinforcement/fabric, and materials engineering
Requirements:
Degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Rubber/Plastics Engineering, or related field, with a preference for Masters or PhD degrees
15+ years of increasing responsibility in materials development, engineering leadership, and manufacturing operations
10+ years leading large, complex, global engineering organizations
Deep expertise in rubber and non-rubber materials science
Proven ability to develop multi-year strategic plans and roadmaps
Strong capability to lead cross-functional, cross-cultural teams
Excellent communication and executive presentation skills
Demonstrated success driving major technical programs and organizational transformation
Strong financial and business acumen
Domestic and international travel required
What we offer:
Bonus Eligible: 25%
Equity Eligible
Medical, Dental, Vision insurance and other voluntary benefit options: benefits begin on the first day of the month immediately following your date of hire
Eligible for Flexible Time Off
401(k): 3% company contribution and additional 3% company match