R&D Manager Germanium Metallurgy (EN)

About Umicore

Reducing harmful vehicle emissions. Giving new life to used metals. Powering the cars of the future. As a global materials and technology group, we apply our specialist knowledge to offer materials and solutions that are essential to everyday life. We aim to be a clear world leader in materials for clean mobility and recycling and have turned our sustainability approach into an even greater competitive advantage. With ambitions like this, imagine what you could do?

About Electro-Optic Materials

Power in space. Vision at night. Coatings thinner than human hair. Umicore is a world leader in germanium material solutions for the space, optics and electronics sectors – enabling every day cutting-edge technologies. To produce materials with even higher performance we cannot stand still. We need to find new ways to do things, discover new solutions and develop new processes. Which is where you come in.

What you will be doing

You will be a valued member of the Germanium Team within the Electro-Optic Materials business unit. In your role as a Research & Process Development Manager, you will be dedicated to enhancing our current and future generations of germanium crystals, serving high end space, photonics and electronics markets.

Your primary responsibility involves acquiring crucial expertise, knowledge, and a profound understanding of the germanium crystals characteristics and applications, as well as the metallurgical refining processes. Your focus will be on optimizing the existing processes with regards to customer requirements, quality, cost and safety aspects in order to further improve the sustainability of the production line.

You are the go to person for internal and external customer inquiries and complaints We anticipate your thorough examination of available data and close collaboration with the production shopfloor to enhance our production abilities.

Given our growth aspirations, in your role you will also contribute to any expansion projects. This entails selecting and qualifying the most effective equipment, technologies and processes in a timely manner. This collaborative effort will involve working closely with our suppliers, customers, and R&D partners.

With the above responsibilities, you will acquire a profound process knowledge combined with a hands-on approach for implementing process and product improvements in Germanium Metallurgy. Following this onboarding, you will have developed the ability to take up the Operations Manager role of the same Germanium Metallurgy department.

Your detailed responsibilities:

• You introduce and safeguard quality improvements to our Germanium metallurgical refining and crystal pulling processes.
• You follow up the safety, product quality and process performance of the department perform root cause analysis on any deviation and take corrective and preventive actions
• You interact directly with external and internal customers to fully understand their needs
• You coordinate process and product improvement project and craft innovative processes that can lead to improved production flows.
• You manage these development efforts by leading cross functional teams and/or external partners such as equipment vendors
• You are in charge to test, select and buy the correct tools and equipment to ensure their timely industrialization.
• You are responsible for the successful qualification of the developed processes internally and externally
• You will initiate and manage development projects according to their scope, quality, time and budget. You are able to prioritize and advance on multiple projects simultaneously
• You report on Umicore R&D contributions in public-funded projects
• You summarize and present the acquired results (reports/presentations/meetings)
• You coordinate knowledge transfer between the different stakeholders to ensure timely industrialization of new technologies

Who we are looking for

• You hold a Ph.D. in Physics, Chemistry, Materials science or related field
• You are able to understand integrated process flows as well as do hands-on process development
• You are a standout colleague and teammate and can work in an international context
• You show good analytical skills, statistical analysis software skills are a plus (ex. Minitab, …)
• You are used to work under time pressure and can handle stress
• You can work according to a well-structured project management methodology
• Your drive for improvement and quality is contagious and you inspire and mobilize your co-workers for your projects.
• You have excellent reporting skills and are able to present results in a clear and concise way
• You have eye for detail but also able to take high-level perspective when appropriate
• In view of the international environment, good English communication skills are required. The knowledge of Dutch is required to ensure close collaboration with the shopfloor.
• You aspire growth towards an operational management role, once you have obtained sufficient expertise and experience as a research and development manager

What we offer

We aim to lead the way. Not just for our customers, but for our employees too. That is why we strive to create a collaborative environment in which we can all succeed, and a culture through which we can all share ideas, develop our expertise and advance our careers. We engage in building an inclusive work culture that offers equal opportunities for all employees irrespective of their diverse backgrounds. As you would expect from a world-leading organization, we will also reward your contribution with a competitive salary and benefits. With all this and more, imagine what you could do?

If our germanium solutions can help provide power in space, IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD DO