Service & Software Development Director

Kurita America is part of the Kurita Group, one of the leading water solutions providers in the world. Established in 1949, the Kurita Group is comprised of an international network of approximately 8000 employees located in 18 countries.

Located in Minneapolis, MN, Kurita America brings innovations to market through a holistic water management approach, incorporating state-of-the art equipment, chemistries, engineering, and services to conserve natural resources for a better, more sustainable world. Kurita's corporate philosophy is to study the properties of water, master them and create an environment in which nature and humanity are in harmony

Kurita established the Avista Center of Excellence (CoE) in 2021 as a leadership group to promote and grow Avista membrane chemical solutions sales through global knowledge exchange, innovation, and integration of the Avista brand (manufacturing, promotion, technologies, and services) across the Kurita Group Companies.

Kurita is seeking a senior leader to continue to shape the global future of Kurita/Avista's membrane chemical technical services and software portfolio. This role owns strategy, roadmap, and delivery for digital and technical services that directly enable Avista Membrane Treatment Solutions to continue to grow across the Kurita Group.

The selected candidate will operate at the intersection of product strategy, technical services and software, collaborating closely with other CoE functions including Product Management, R&D and wider Kurita group Marketing, and regional leaders worldwide. The technical and software services that are core responsibilities of this role include: the Avista AdvisorCi chemical projection software, OSCAR (Offsite cleaning and restoration), membrane data management tools, membrane autopsy service, S.sensing RO-AS and other lab services that form part of the online and offline support of the Avista brand offering globally.

Title: Service & Software Development Director

Location: Carlsbad/San Marcos California

Travel: Up to 15%

Pay: $170,000 to $200,000

Global vision, strategy, and roadmap for Avista technical services and software (including AdvisorCi, OSCAR, data tools, lab and autopsy services).
• Endtoend service lifecycle management, from ideation through launch, scale, and optimization.
• Identification of new service and software opportunities through market intelligence, competitive analysis, and customer insight.
• Improvement of existing services and software including creating the fundamental product data or enhancing the chemical calculations behind the software, working with technicians or R&D to create new features or functionality.
• Management and development of a global team of laboratory technicians, service and software product developers, plus external development partners.
• Collaboration across Kurita Group companies to ensure services deliver clear customer and commercial value.
• Thought leadership through technical publications, conferences, and global knowledgeexchange forums.
• Identify "gaps" in service or systems capabilities, proposing solutions and implementing agreed improvements.
• Competitive research, analyzing data, and defining requirements for new laboratory or software services to support global business growth.
• Assist in developing and managing Avista Center of Excellence technical budgets for software and technical services.
• Evaluate product and technical service sales/demand trends including by visiting trade shows/conferences and key colleagues in group companies.
• Manage a team of external and cross-business suppliers providing software hosting and developing services for the tools/services of the business.
• Content development to support the sales promotion of product and technical services in collaboration with Product Management (case studies, literature, training, tools, etc.).

Support for Kurita Companies.

• Support for product and technical service questions.
• Training development support and facilitation for membrane chemical software and technical services.
• Participation in CoE and facilitation of knowledge exchange events.
• Support and backup to CoE team colleagues as required.

• Bachelor's degree in business, computer science, chemistry, engineering, or related science degree
• Solid technical background in membrane chemicals and related services.
• Skilled in strategic thinking, customer empathy, project management, and presentation
• Skilled at working effectively with cross-functional and global teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to engage and influence internal and external customers.
• Good organizational skills, able to work independently while also following team goals and objectives.
• 5-10 years of previous product management/technical management experience in the membrane separations industry.
• Ability to travel locally and internationally as needed.
• An understanding of a P&ID and flow dynamics is recommended.
• Ability to create and edit Excel spreadsheets containing calculations and other relevant information.
• Experience with Microsoft Office (WORD, Excel, PowerPoint) and Microsoft 365, including TEAMS and SharePoint.
• Willingness and flexibility to adapt to changing business needs and deadlines.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities