Cranleigh STEM
Materials Development Project Leader
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Materials Development Project Leader | South London
We’re supporting an innovative materials technology business developing advanced materials for high-performance protective products across the sports, defence, footwear and industrial sectors.
As part of continued investment in its materials development capability, the business is looking for a Materials Development Project Leader to take ownership of international development programmes from early-stage research through to scale-up, pre-production and launch.
This is not a traditional Project Manager position. We’re looking for someone who has built their career within materials science, materials engineering, chemistry or polymer development and is now looking to take a bigger step into technical project leadership.
The Role
You’ll lead materials development projects involving technical teams, suppliers and manufacturing partners across the UK, Europe, USA and Asia.
Projects span a range of high-performance applications including protective equipment, helmet technologies, specialist footwear and other impact-protection products.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading materials development projects from concept through to production
- Defining project scope, work packages, timelines, budgets and technical deliverables
- Coordinating Materials Development, Testing, Engineering, Supply Chain and Manufacturing teams
- Managing relationships with external materials suppliers and development partners
- Reviewing experimental plans and technical data to help guide development decisions
- Leading troubleshooting and root-cause activities around material and process challenges
- Balancing material performance with manufacturability, cost and project timelines
- Tracking project progress, risks and key milestones
- Working closely with international technical teams and suppliers
- Travelling to China approximately once per quarter, typically for 7–10 days
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The original specification places particular emphasis on project accountability, cross-functional leadership, technical decision-making and supplier management.
About You
You’ll need a strong technical foundation in materials development, ideally backed by a degree in:
- Materials Science / Materials Engineering
- Chemistry / Materials Chemistry
- Polymer Science / Polymer Engineering
- Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline
We’d particularly like to hear from candidates with experience in polymers, polyurethane systems, thermoplastics, TPEs, elastomers, rubbers, foams or other advanced materials.
You might already be leading materials development projects, or you could be an experienced Materials Scientist, Materials Engineer, Polymer Scientist or Materials Development Engineer who has started taking ownership of projects and is ready to move further into project leadership.
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You’ll ideally bring:
- Proven industrial materials development experience
- Experience leading or coordinating technical development projects
- Strong understanding of materials development and testing
- Supplier and external partner management experience
- Exposure to scale-up, manufacturing or commercialisation
- Strong planning, organisation and stakeholder management skills
- Confidence working across international teams
- Willingness to travel regularly to China
These requirements closely reflect the original technical specification, which calls for 5+ years in industrial materials/formulation development alongside project coordination, supplier management and technical credibility.
Working Pattern
- The role is based in South London with a hybrid working pattern.
- You’ll be onsite Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with flexibility to work remotely Monday and Friday.
If you’ve built your career in materials development and are looking for an opportunity to take greater ownership of international projects, apply directly or contact me: lewis@cranleighstem.co.uk
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