Strategic Marketing Manager (Adhesives OR sealants OR Composite materials experience)

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly strategic, analytical, and commercially driven Strategic Marketing Manager to lead growth initiatives for our expanding non-automotive portfolio, including adhesives, sealants, advanced composites, and engineered material technologies.

This role sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, and commercial execution and will play a critical role in identifying market opportunities, driving diversification initiatives, supporting corporate development activities, and shaping long-term growth strategies across industrial and specialty markets.

The ideal candidate brings a strong blend of business intelligence, market strategy, technical understanding, and cross-functional leadership experience within manufacturing, aerospace, industrial, sporting goods, or advanced materials environments.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Market Development

• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize new markets, applications, emerging technologies, and competitive trends to support long-term strategic growth.
• Develop and execute strategic growth plans and segment roadmaps for key non-automotive markets including:
• Aerospace & Defense
• Industrial Manufacturing
• Sporting Goods
• Marine
• Building & Construction
• Infrastructure
• Medical Equipment
• Lead market segmentation, whitespace analysis, and opportunity assessments to identify diversification opportunities.
• Translate market insights into actionable business strategies, product positioning, and commercial plans.
• Support corporate development initiatives including:
• Market scanning
• Partnership evaluation
• Target identification
• M&A due diligence
• Strategic fit analysis
• Collaborate with finance, legal, commercial, and leadership teams on business case development and integration planning for new ventures.
• Act as a strategic bridge between commercial teams and R&D to ensure voice-of-customer (VOC) insights inform innovation and product development priorities.

Business Intelligence & Competitive Strategy

• Lead business intelligence initiatives and deliver insights that influence strategic decision-making across pricing, positioning, innovation, and portfolio management.
• Conduct competitive intelligence, industry analysis, and market research to evaluate market dynamics and customer trends.
• Develop strategic frameworks and executive-level recommendations using tools such as:
• SWOT Analysis
• Porter’s Five Forces
• Business Model Canvas
• Market Attractiveness Models
• M&A Evaluation Frameworks
• Define research priorities and manage third-party market research and intelligence vendors to ensure quality, scope adherence, timelines, and cost effectiveness.
• Present strategic insights and recommendations to regional and global leadership teams.
• Maintain and update corporate development, diversification, and business intelligence reporting systems.

Product & Portfolio Ownership

• Support ownership and strategic direction of assigned product lines, segments, or technology portfolios.
• Drive:
• Product positioning
• Pricing strategy
• Lifecycle management
• Go-to-market planning
• Portfolio optimization
• Integrate customer and market feedback into product and commercialization strategies.
• Partner with sales teams to support customer engagement, strategic account growth, and market expansion initiatives.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with R&D, engineering, operations, sales, finance, and executive leadership to align strategic priorities and commercial objectives.
• Influence stakeholders across technical and commercial functions within a matrix organization.
• Facilitate alignment between innovation pipelines and market opportunities.
• Build strong internal and external relationships to support growth initiatives and strategic partnerships.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 7+ years of experience in strategic marketing, business development, product management, corporate strategy, or market intelligence within:
• Advanced materials
• Chemicals
• Manufacturing
• Engineered products
• Industry experience in at least one of the following:
• Aerospace
• Industrial Manufacturing
• Sporting Goods
• Strong understanding of:
• Adhesives
• Sealants
• Advanced composites
• Engineered materials
• Proven experience identifying and expanding into new markets, applications, or industries.
• Demonstrated success in strategic planning, market analysis, and growth strategy development.
• Experience owning or managing a product line, portfolio, or market segment preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Excellent business intelligence and competitive analysis skills.
• Ability to synthesize complex technical and market data into clear strategic narratives and actionable recommendations.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with curiosity for emerging technologies and evolving markets.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and influencing skills.
• Ability to navigate matrix organizations and work effectively across technical and commercial teams.
• Financial acumen and business case modeling capability.
• Proactive, collaborative, and results-oriented approach.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or related field required.
• MBA or Master’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Finance, or related discipline preferred.

Preferred Background

Candidates with experience in the following environments are strongly preferred:

• Advanced materials or specialty chemicals
• Adhesives and sealants
• Composite materials
• Aerospace suppliers
• Industrial manufacturing
• Sporting goods manufacturing
• Diversification or innovation-focused organizations

Travel

• Ability to travel as required to customer sites, industry events, manufacturing facilities, and strategic meetings.