Technology Leadership Associate - 2024 Leadership Development Program Ph.D.
Avient Corporation (NYSE: AVNT), with expected 2021 revenues of $4.6 to $4.7 billion, provides specialized and sustainable material solutions that transform customer challenges into opportunities, bringing new products to life for a better world. Examples include:
- Barrier technologies that preserve the shelf-life and quality of food, beverages, medicine and other perishable goods through high-performance materials
- Light-weighting solutions that replace heavier traditional materials which can improve fuel efficiency in all modes of transportation
- Breakthrough technologies that minimize wastewater and improve the recyclability of materials and packaging across a spectrum of end uses
Avient employs approximately 8,400 associates and is certified ACC Responsible Care®, a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and certified Great Place to Work®. For more information, visit www.avient.com.
WHY AVIENT:
At Avient, we strive for a culture of trust and engagement. Our associates are leading company initiatives such as Lead by Women, HYPE (Harnessing Young Professionals), Pride at Avient and Embrace to advance diversity in professional and personal development. We also provide our associates with robust development programs such as Avient Academy, Lean Six Sigma, and various leadership workshops to allow for career growth in a variety of ways. With workplace flexibility, health and wellness programs, casual dress days, and paid time off for community service, we are committed to building upon our positive momentum.
At Avient, we believe diversity of ideas and backgrounds gives us the creativity to be successful in a rapidly changing world. In support of this, we stress equality of opportunity for all qualified individuals in accordance with applicable laws. Decisions in hiring, promotion, development, compensation and advancement are based upon non-discriminatory factors such as, for example, qualifications, abilities, experience, and performance.
Job Summary
The Corporate Technology Leadership Development Program accelerates professional development by placing high caliber Ph.D. graduates on multiple Avient R&D Teams. This two year program consists of two (2) twelve-month, or three (3) nine-month rotational assignments and provides hands on roles that will help you gain experience in technology and leadership philosophy while providing technical, functional and leadership skills training. These teams develop and support a wide range of projects that enable the critical processes of Avient businesses.
Rotational assignments will vary depending on the skills of the candidate hired, and may include foundational R&D and applied product or process development directed toward any of Avient technical platforms. During each phase of their assignment they will establish relationships with peers and leaders, learn fundamentals and be provided feedback from the program manager. Upon completion of the program, individuals will be placed in a full time role within Avient that best suits their personal and professional goals and matches the business needs.
Essential Functions
- Actively interface with business and technology leaders to develop custom polymer formulations and / or processes adhering to customer specifications, quality requirements, and operational goals and standards.
- Contribute to product platform development through the application of statistical experimental design, product testing, and data analysis.
- Perform literature and patent searches to guide experimentation.
- Partner with manufacturing resources to develop test methods and establish quality controls for new materials / processes.
- Support marketing and sales through development of product and application data.
- Summarize experimental strategies and data analysis in written reports and presentations for communication with peers, customers, and various levels of management.
- Collaborate in cross-functional projects across business units.
- Develop Lean Six Sigma (LSS) capabilities.
- Build on hard and soft-core competencies through training by taking a list of coursework to develop technical, functional and leadership skills
- Other duties as assigned
Education and Experience
- Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Material Science or Physics, with a focus on polymer materials development, structure-property relationships, or polymer processing.
Additional Qualifications
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
- Demonstrated project management capability.
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
- Motivated with a passion to succeed.
Competencies
- Each position at Avient focuses on eight Core Competencies as a Leader of Self. Additionally, management positions focus on Leadership Competencies as a Leader of Others and/or a Leader of the Business. These competencies are designed to drive behavior that will ultimately help our associates excel at their current roles, while supporting individual and career development.
Avient Corporation is a drug free workplace. Avient is an equal opportunity employer. We maintain a policy of non-discrimination in providing equal employment to all qualified employees and candidates regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran’s status, or other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal, state and local law