Technical Manager

Technical Manager

Molding Products

South Bend, IN

What is Molding Products (An IP Corporation Company):

Molding Products is a leading manufacturer of advanced composite molding compounds used across automotive, electrical, construction, and industrial markets. As part of IP Corporation, a privately held, family-owned chemical manufacturing organization with more than 70 years of growth and innovation, Molding Products is known for technical expertise, consistent product performance, and strong customer partnerships. Our culture is hands-on, collaborative, and driven by operational and technical excellence.

What You'll Do as the Technical Manager:

The Technical Manager leads the engineering, process improvement, and site technical support functions for the manufacturing facility. This role is responsible for improving plant reliability, production efficiency, product performance, and supporting new product introductions. The Technical Manager works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Corporate Engineering, and Commercial teams to ensure safe, consistent, and cost-effective manufacturing operations.

What You Can Expect to Do in This Role as a Technical Manager:

Leadership & Strategy

• Manage, mentor, and develop site engineers and technical staff.
• Participate in plant strategy, planning, and improvement initiatives.
• Support site culture focused on safety, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Act as a key advisor to the Plant Manager and a member of the site leadership team.

Process Engineering & Product Performance

• Lead chemical process improvement, troubleshooting, and manufacturing support to maintain and improve production consistency, safety, and throughput.
• Implement process controls, standard operating procedures, and best practices across product lines.
• Provide hands-on technical expertise to resolve issues and optimize unit operations.
• Support R&D and Commercial teams with new product trials, scale-ups, and customer applications.
• Provide technical support to Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service for product inquiries and customer satisfaction.

Maintenance & Reliability Leadership

• Work closely with the Plant Engineer and Maintenance team to improve equipment reliability and uptime.
• Support root cause failure analysis and corrective action programs.
• Guide preventative and predictive maintenance strategies to reduce downtime.
• Identify opportunities to improve technician skills, maintenance planning, and contractor utilization.

What We Are Looking For in a Technical Manager:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field required.
• 5+ years of process engineering, operations, or technical leadership experience in manufacturing; composites, polymer, chemical, or batch processing strongly preferred.
• Proven project management and process improvement experience.
• Strong mechanical/equipment troubleshooting capability.
• Effective leadership, communication, and mentoring skills.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and influence without direct authority.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies preferred.

Why IP Corporation / Molding Products?

• Stable, family-owned company with long-standing customer relationships and strong market reputation.
• Opportunity to directly influence plant performance and technical strategy.
• Collaborative environment with strong cross-functional leadership exposure.
• Competitive compensation and benefits including medical, dental, vision, generous PTO, and 401(k) with company match.

Pay Transparency Range:

$119,664.00 - $147,610.00

Molding Products (IP Corporation) is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diversity in the workplace. If you are a driven technical leader with experience in molding compounds or polymer manufacturing, we encourage you to apply and join our team!