Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE: AVY) is a global materials science and digital identification solutions company that provides branding and information labeling solutions, including pressure-sensitive materials, radio-frequency identification (RFID) inlays and tags, and a variety of converted products and solutions. The company designs and manufactures a wide range of labeling and functional materials that enhance branded packaging, carry or display information that connects the physical and the digital, and improve customers’ product performance. The company serves an array of industries worldwide, including home and personal care, apparel, e-commerce, logistics, food and grocery, pharmaceuticals and automotive. The company employs approximately 36,000 employees in more than 50 countries. Reported sales in 2022 were $9.0 billion. Learn more at www.averydennison.com.
- AVERY DENNISON IS PROUD TO BE CERTIFIED GREAT PLACE TO WORK IN AUSTRALIA, CHINA, INDIA, JAPAN, MALAYSIA AND VIETNAM
Scope:
The MG APAC R&D leader will set the vision and overall strategic technical direction for the R&D organization while also ensuring flawless execution against R&D efforts to deliver on our aggressive regional 2030 strategic plan, achieving our Sustainability goals, growth ambitions and business transformation.
The role combines the oversights of product and solutions development, technology development, adhesive business management (development - scale-up - third party production), pilot plants and analytical and test services for the APAC Materials Group of Avery Dennison, including 2 innovation centers (NRC-China and IDKC -India).
The successful person will act as an influential and supportive senior leader in the continued innovation transformation within Avery Dennison, by further developing and supporting our shift to a world-class innovation organization in our key markets and technologies.
They will demonstrate core technical capabilities, strategic innovation skills, passion to explore new domains and to identify new technologies, strong business acumen and ability to link technology to business needs, with a track record for delivering results. They will contribute to achieve our sustainability 2030 goals and profit objectives for new product growth on the basis of innovative and competitive new value propositions, and hold accountability to achieve cost-out and material re-engineering targets.
Importantly they will also demonstrate exceptional people leadership skills, creating a vision and purpose for an R&D organization of close to 100 staff in order to build high performing and diverse teams. They will focus on enhanced communication across and within the team and ensure an energized and highly engaged organizational culture.
This Leader will also further strengthen both internal and external collaboration/partnerships and ecosystem engagements, to enable acceleration of new breakthrough technology opportunities.
This is a high visibility position supporting a multitude of verticals (CPG E-commerce/logistics, Pharma, Wine & Spirit, Automotive, Architecture, Food and beverages, Healthcare). The position reports as a solid line into the Global VP R&D and Sustainability of Materials Group, and with a strong dotted line to the VP/GM of APAC and is a key member of the respective APAC and WW R&D leadership teams
Key Responsibilities
Global R&D vision
- We Create Responsible Solutions & Pioneer Future Disruptions to create Value & deliver Business Growth aspirations
Global R&D Mission
- We collaborate to learn, explore with curiosity, and deliver with efficiency
- We are a courageous and inspired R&D organization, working seamlessly across boundaries, both internally and externally
- Together we build our scientific know-how to enable solutions that decorate, inform, protect and connect
Global R&D Key Strategies
- Lead in sustainability with a Circular and Carbon neutral innovation portfolio
- Drive outsized growth through Innovation Excellence
- Deliver relentless focus on Productivity & Efficiency through digital Fluency
- Foster an Inclusive, Courageous, Curious and Innovative team
Drive Innovation Roadmap/Strategy
- Provide Leadership to both short term and long term product innovation strategy for APAC, with Marketing; develop and execute multigenerational plans and technology roadmaps of new products for identified market segments; align with WW R&D counterparts
- Collaborate with Product Management and Sales to prioritize and link commercial needs and customer opportunities with relevant project portfolio of solutions and technology roadmaps
- Work with Operations and Engineering leadership to ensure alignment of goals and priorities and provide input to manufacturing capability needs vs new technology
- Drive outside partnerships and engage in collaborative interactions within the broader ecosystem (customers, suppliers, OEMs, startups, outside regulatory agencies, academia to advance organizational objective) gather latest insights and accelerate our innovation strategy
- Identify and evaluate opportunities for growth in new or adjacent markets; evaluate technologies being considered for licensing and/or acquisition. Provide guidance on the make vs buy decision.
- Continuously collaborate across functions in the preparation and execution of business strategies, through Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and 5 year Strategy plan.
Drive the Innovation Portfolio
- Lead the innovation council for APAC
- Ensure a robust idea and project pipeline; provide insight into prioritization, risk, cost and value of each project in the portfolio; execute decisions with a strategic perspective.
- Champion execution of robust processes (stage gate, platforms review,..) and digital tools for timely execution of the innovation portfolio (New products, Sustainability, Cost out, Re-engineering).
- Controls annual operating budget, trial budget, capital execution
- Work with Legal to maintain IP portfolio and budget. Participate on the IP steering committee to ensure IP portfolio is properly representing the needs of the business and drives margin extraction through protection of technology differentiation.
- Ensure protection of proprietary information, and secure ownership and/or privileged access to innovations that will be critical to customers in the future.
Build Organization Capabilities
- Laser focus on succession planning and coaching talent- build a robust internal pipeline.
- Continuous improvement of team capabilities, competencies and organizational structure to optimize outcome delivery. Develop the team’s technical depth; recruit, coach and develop elite R&D talent.
- Promote strong collaboration and working relationships (functions, geographies and divisional) to establish capability linkages within the whole Avery Dennison
- Foster an environment of Inclusion and drive high levels of employee engagement within R&D
- Maintain health of the Community of Practice and Mentoring program and facilitate the development of our key R&D staff and experts across the network.
- Create an Accountable, Inclusive, Courageous, Curious, Agile, Externally focused customer-centric culture
- Advanced Degree in Science, Engineering coupled with strong Business Acumen (Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Polymer Science, Materials, MBA, etc.). MS/Ph.D. is preferred.
- 15 years’ experience in R&D and Innovation roles; Expertise and experience with a wide variety of materials (eg including substrates (film, paper), adhesives (emulsion, hot melt, solvent) release systems (emulsion, solvent, 100% solids) and surface coatings (emulsion, solvent)], converting processes (coating, lamination, printing, packaging)
- Demonstrated ability to connect technology with business needs; able to translate business goals into R&D objectives, plans and deliverables; understands market and technology trends and is able to organize and implement R&D strategies and tactics.
- Experience managing a large group of scientists, including: providing coaching and direction; attracting, developing, motivating and retaining talent; ability to effectively engage a team with varying backgrounds, skills, and experience to achieve common goals and track record results.
- Demonstrates effective change leadership and influence across functions; exhibits a hands-on leadership style that fosters open and frequent communication at all levels of the organization.
- Maintain strong, ongoing interface and effective network and relationship with the business (marketing, sales, purchasing, manufacturing,legal) to ensure open communication, transparency to strategy, and seamless execution of key initiatives
- Superior strategic and analytical skills, excellent presentation and listening skills.
Additional Information
AVERY DENNISON IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER
