Technical Service Manager- Agriculture and Food (North America)

At Nouryon, our global team of Changemakers takes positive action every day, to reach higher collectively and individually. We create innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers to answer society’s needs – today and in the future.  

We are looking for team members who bring ideas forward, champion others and work together to do better. Does that sound like you? 

About the job:

Nouryon’s Agriculture & Food division seeks an experienced Technical Service Manager to own day-to-day priorities and independent formulation decisions for the Bridgewater, NJ lab, serving customers across North America. The role connects lab work to fast commercial outcomes, delivering robust adjuvant and crop protection formulations, validated samples, and clear recommendations to customers and internal teams. You will operate with high autonomy and collaborate closely with Sales/Marketing, R&D, Production, Regulatory, and Supply Chain to solve problems quickly and safely.

In your future role as a Technical Service Manager-Agriculture, you will:

• Plan and execute formulation development experiments for new and existing agrochemical and adjuvant products (e.g., suspension concentrates, emulsions, water-dispersible granules). Gather performance and stability data, analyze results, and iterate formulations to meet performance targets.
• Troubleshoot formulation and application issues by identifying root causes and implementing solutions aligned with business and regulatory priorities.
• Interpret experimental data and translate technical findings into clear recommendations. Prepare and present technical reports, formal lab reports, and presentations for internal teams, management, and external stakeholders (customers, sales, etc.).
• Serve as a key technical liaison between Nouryon and customers by supporting customer trials, addressing formulation queries, and providing application guidance. Develop strong customer relationships and understand customer needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (R&D, production, regulatory, sales/marketing) and global colleagues to advance formulation projects. Drive cross-cultural teamwork and ensure successful handoff of formulations to scale-up and manufacturing.
• Stay current on industry trends, new raw materials, and emerging technologies in crop protection and adjuvant formulations, and contribute innovative ideas to support Nouryon’s product offerings and growth.
• Lead external technical interactions by presenting data, defending formulations, supporting customer trials and scale-up activities, and providing application guidance across NAM.
• Translate experimental results into clear recommendations and deliver technical reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.
• Own daily lab operations and priorities by setting methods, allocating work, and ensuring EHS compliance and proper documentation (SOPs, data integrity).
• Reduce cycle time from request → sample → order by tracking and improving KPIs (response time, sample-to-order conversion, number of validated formulations, number of customer technical meetings).
• Coordinate with cross-functional and global teams to advance projects and transfer successful formulations to manufacturing.
• Stay current on industry trends and new raw materials and contribute ideas to strengthen Nouryon’s portfolio.

North America Scope & Complexity:

• Geography: United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America; interface with regional Sales, Regulatory, Supply Chain (Houston), R&D (global).
• Customers supported: Global Key Account and Regional Account for Crop Protection & Distributors; key segments: crop protection manufacturers, adjuvant blenders, seed treatment, micronutrients.
• Active projects: ~10 at any time; annual sample requests: ~50; typical deliverables: validated lab samples, stability dossiers, application guidance.
• Internal interfaces (approx.): Sales (7 FTE), Regulatory team, Supply Chain, QC/Manufacturing.

We believe you bring:

• A B.S. in Chemistry (required); an advanced degree is a plus.
• 5–10 years of hands-on experience in agrochemical and adjuvant formulation, including customer-facing technical service within the North American market, with a demonstrated ability to work independently without onsite supervision.
• Deep technical expertise in formulation systems such as emulsions, suspension concentrates (SCs), microencapsulation, and water-dispersible granules (WDGs), along with strong experimental design and data analysis skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly present technical concepts to customers and leadership and produce concise, high-quality technical reports.
• Strong collaboration and organizational skills, enabling effective work across cross-functional and multicultural teams while managing multiple projects and setting laboratory priorities.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% for customer visits, field trials, and industry conferences.

Good to know:

• This is a full-time laboratory based position at Nouryon’s Bridgewater, NJ site, within the Agriculture & Food business unit. The role involves hands-on lab work as well as office/desk work for reporting and communication.
• Culture: Nouryon values innovation, collaboration, and a safety-first mindset. The successful candidate will thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and will contribute to a team of expert chemists and engineers.  
• Benefits: Competitive compensation and benefits package commensurate with experience, including professional development opportunities.
• Please apply via our online recruitment system. We will not accept applications via e-mail. Once it's with us we will review to see if we have a match between your skills and the role! For more information about our hiring process, visit: nouryon.com/careers/how-we-hire/  

We look forward to receiving your application! 

We kindly ask our internal candidates to apply with your Nouryon email via Success Factors.  
  

About Nouryon:

We’re looking for tomorrow’s Changemakers, today. 

If you’re looking for your next career move, apply today and join Nouryon’s worldwide team of Changemakers in providing essential solutions that our customers use to manufacture everyday products such as personal care, cleaning, paints and coatings, agriculture and food, pharmaceuticals, and building products. Our employees are driven by the wish to make an impact and actively drive positive change. If that describes you, we will gladly make way for your ambitions. From day one we support you with your personal growth, through challenging positions and comprehensive learning and development opportunities, in a dynamic, international, diverse, and proactive working environment. 

Visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.  

#WeAreNouryon #Changemakers 

Nouryon is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

We have already chosen our sourcing channels for this recruitment and kindly ask not to be contacted by any advertisement agents, recruitment agencies or staffing companies.