Product Research Lead - Nonwovens

As a Product Research Specialist, you will play a critical role in generating customer, market, and value-chain insights that inform innovation, product development, and new business opportunities within the Nonwovens business. This role is responsible for designing and executing research initiatives that uncover unmet customer needs, identify growth opportunities, and provide evidence-based recommendations that support strategic decision-making.

You will partner closely with Product Management, Strategic Marketing, R&D, and Commercial teams to translate customer and market insights into actionable recommendations. Success in this role requires strong research expertise, analytical thinking, business acumen, and the ability to influence decisions through compelling storytelling and data-driven insights.

POSITION LOCATION: Granville, Ohio. Hybrid schedule 4 day a week in office

What You Will Be Doing:

• Serve as a customer and market insights expert, bringing the voice of the customer into product, innovation, and business decisions.
• Develop a deep understanding of customer needs, value chain dynamics, market trends, industry challenges, and growth opportunities.
• Conduct customer immersions, field visits, jobsite observations, interviews, and stakeholder engagements to uncover unmet needs and emerging market opportunities.
• Build strong relationships with contractors, distributors, OEMs, converters, architects, specifiers, builders, and other key stakeholders.
• Lead customer discovery efforts that support innovation, product development, and new business initiatives.
• Apply Voice of Customer, Jobs-to-Be-Done, Human-Centered Design, and other customer insight methodologies to identify opportunities and customer value drivers.
• Translate customer needs and market insights into actionable recommendations, product requirements, and differentiated value propositions.
• Design and execute qualitative and quantitative research studies to address critical business and innovation questions.
• Utilize a variety of research methodologies including customer interviews, ethnographic research, focus groups, surveys, concept testing, segmentation, pricing studies, market assessments, and opportunity sizing.
• Analyze and synthesize complex data into clear insights, recommendations, and business implications.
• Identify trends, patterns, and opportunities that support portfolio strategy, innovation priorities, and business growth objectives.
• Facilitate workshops, insight-sharing sessions, and opportunity identification discussions with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Present research findings and recommendations to technical, commercial, and leadership audiences.
• Partner with Product Management, Strategic Marketing, R&D, Sales, and Business Leadership teams to align research activities with business priorities.
• Assess customer value drivers, adoption barriers, willingness to pay, and market attractiveness to support commercialization strategies.
• Measure and communicate the impact of research initiatives on innovation outcomes, growth opportunities, and business performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Market Research, Marketing, Business, Engineering, Materials Science, Psychology, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in product research, market research, customer insights, innovation, customer experience, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.
• Experience conducting customer interviews, field research, customer immersions, and stakeholder engagements.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to synthesize complex information and translate insights into actionable business recommendations.
• Strong communication, presentation, storytelling, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and drive alignment across technical and commercial organizations.
• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel to customer sites and market locations as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in building materials, roofing, nonwovens, construction products, industrial manufacturing, or other B2B industries.
• Experience with Jobs-to-Be-Done, Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design, Voice of Customer, or similar research methodologies.
• Familiarity with product development, commercialization, innovation, and stage-gate processes.
• Experience supporting new business development, portfolio strategy, or growth initiatives.
• Knowledge of customer value proposition development, value creation frameworks, and pricing research.
• Experience influencing strategic decisions through customer and market insights.
• Experience facilitating workshops and cross-functional innovation sessions.