Technical Support Manager Paper & Board

Job Summary

As a Technical Support Manager for Paper & Board, you will support all commercial activities pre‑ and post‑sales, provide technical expertise on existing products and solutions, drive innovation, manage technical support for customers, investigate complaints, benchmark products, and lobby market stakeholders. You will represent the company externally as a technical ambassador in university networks, standardization committees, and customer events.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with safety rules and educate teams on preventive measures.
• Participate in client discussions for technical sales, working closely with the sales manager to support the customer development process from opportunity identification through final application.
• Lift customers' technical objections and identify opportunities to apply existing products to optimize the value proposition.
• Act as project manager for large technical development projects in collaboration with R&D to deliver organic growth.
• Support customers in finding optimal solutions to resolve their problems using Imerys' product portfolio.
• Perform benchmarking analysis of Imerys and competitor products, alternative technologies, and new commercial products to support product offering, positioning, and pricing.
• Identify unmet technical customer needs and translate performance requirements into product specification requirements.
• Serve as the link between customers and R&D/Operations on new product development.
• Support the transfer of laboratory developments into industrial applications at customers.
• Lead trial management at customer sites and supervise trials at Imerys plants on new products.
• Manage qualification processes for new products at customers.
• Develop short, medium, and long‑term innovation strategies for the Paper & Board segment, ensuring the customer voice remains central.
• Respond to significant quality issues from customers, analyze causes, propose solutions, and liaise with operations and quality managers to implement resolutions.
• Manage technical training for sales and marketing personnel and act as a technical ambassador internally and externally.
• Build and maintain a network within the customers’ technical community.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience (10+ years is a plus).
• Strong experience in the Paper & Board industry, preferably at a customer.
• Ability to decode customer needs and design adapted solutions.
• Customer‑oriented; able to build strong relationships internally and externally.
• Skilled at working with diverse stakeholders across the business, especially marketing.
• Strategic mindset and good communication skills with customers and technical committees.
• Strong organizational skills; self‑starter, flexible, resilient, proactive, autonomous, and motivated.
• Team player with an entrepreneurial mentality and a taste for challenges.
• Proficiency with common IT tools (Excel, Word, Gsuite, Web tools); Salesforce is an advantage.
• Proficient in English (technical and commercial); fluent German is a strong asset.
• Regular and weekly travel up to 50%; driving licence required.

Employment

Full time and permanent.

EEO Statement

Imerys is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws.