Research Team Leader, Packaging Solutions

Do you want to work as a Research Team Leader for Packaging Solutions team? Would you like to do impactful research in the cutting edge of natural sciences with superb colleagues who are top expert in their field? Do you want to build a science career and work in a versatile role at the interface of academy and industry? VTT might be just the place for you.  

We are now looking for Research Team Leader to lead our Packaging Solutions team.  

As a Team Leader, your key goals are to lead your team, ensure that we continue to build project portfolio that has relevant impact for our customers, and systematically develop technologies which can create sustainable growth for our customer. We expect that you take ownership of safety matters in laboratories and pilots. 

In this position, your main responsibility is to ensure that your team will reach their targets while we improve safety culture and to build a balanced project portfolio. We aim to have a strategic combination of Business Finland, EU funded and often confidential commercial projects. You are keen on building your team further through recruitments and ensuring growth opportunities for existing team members. You inspire the whole team to act as thought leaders in their field and communicate their expertise to different audiences. 

If you are eager to lead Packaging Solutions team do excellent research resulting in new projects, invention disclosures, patent applications and scientific articles, this is the position for you! One of your responsibilities is to make a long-term development plan for people and the needed infrastructure and to execute plans in a systematic manner by gradually improving teams’ know-how and competencies. Our Research Team Leaders are also active with customers and focus on building long-term strategic partnerships. 

How does an average day for our Research Team Leader look like? “Optimally, I’d like to divide the work into three parts; 25% leadership activities, 50% research related activities including proposal preparations and project management when necessary, and 25% of time spent at customer interface” -Atte Virtanen, VP, Biomaterial Processing and Products- 

Our international, 15+ member Packaging Solutions team works on novel material, technology, and product development using sustainable, cellulose-based, and recyclable material alternatives to fossil-derived plastics for various applications. We are leading the development and pilot upscaling of several cellulose-based material solutions to enable their industrial utilization while keeping circularity and resource efficiency in mind. Our team helps companies to reduce their fossil carbon dependency. We believe that it is important to have an economic viability with decoupling growth from material use by means of reuse and recycle. We work in a hybrid model, and every team can finetune their own best practices –we aim to meet face-to-face in our Espoo office three times a week.  

Read more about our research here: 

VTT pilot scales up production of | VTT News (vttresearch.com) 

Case Stora Enso: A sustainable barrier film solution for food packaging | VTT (vttresearch.com) 

Fold project developed a novel folding technology towards future industrial-scale deployment for lightweight design structures and protective packaging – News – Expand Fibre 

As a Research Team Leader you will: 

• create a working environment where collaboration within the team and with other teams is the key to success 
• ensure that workload is planned in a balanced way, and there is visibility to available resources so that project plans are made in a realistic manner 
• support and promote good work safety practices with your own example and develop safety at work 
• Act as a thought leader in the field of Packaging Solutions, networking and promoting our research in relevant channels 
• lead and coach the research and project preparations in the team, coordinating the resourcing between various projects and with project managers, driving sales activities, and working as one of the key contributors of the area, participating in relevant research projects and customer projects yourself. 
• Develop an ambitious and visionary agenda for research excellence and impact together with your team 
• coach the team and team members’ performance and success as an inspiring leader 

Who we are looking for: 

• Minimum Master’s degree related to materials technology and some level of understanding in academia and industrial R&D 
• You are able and motivated to work with your team by building new projects (commercial and also jointly funded projects) and capable to participate in development projects with your own technical know-how and skills 
• Some leadership experience eg. project management and a genuine interest to act as Research Team Leader 

As a person, we hope that you are: 

• Analytical, systematic, and well-organized 
• You have strong interpersonal and communication skills and abilities to lead people and coach the team with goal-oriented approach.
• Pragmatic and solution oriented 

With VTT, you’ll enjoy: 

• Natural sciences with an impact. VTT works on the cutting-edge of natural sciences, and we’ve invested into building state-of-the-art research facilities for natural sciences, such as the Bioruukki pilot infrastructure for bio- and circular economy. Our research agenda is dedicated to solving systemic and technological challenges, such as reaching carbon neutrality and unleashing the power of synthetic biology. That means that at VTT, your expertise in natural sciences will go towards creating real impact. Read more about our strategy – the path of exponential hope. 
• Superb colleagues and community. With VTT, you’ll join a community of over 2000 multidisciplinary experts who foster a culture of trust, openness and sharing knowledge. We work truly across disciplines, and house all the cutting-edge sciences from quantum computing to synthetic biology under one roof. Collaborating with superb colleagues is a source of learning, inspiration, and fun.   
• Excellent career in research. At VTT, excellence in research is a strategic priority. We offer long-term positions and stable career paths in top-level research. People tend to stay with us over 10 years since there are always new roles and responsibilities to grow into. A combination of cutting-edge academic research and applied customer projects keeps your career path interesting. 
• Support for your well-being. Our people are our main asset, so we take good care of them. We aim to nurture great team spirit and leadership and offer versatile well-being services to enable a good work–life balance. On top of 6 weeks of paid holidays we offer exercise and culture benefits, hobby clubs, and voluntary well-being services such as meditation programmes and trainings on cognitive ergonomics.      

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds! 

Please send your CV and application with your salary request by October 27th. We will process applications as they come in and fill in the position as soon as we find the right candidate.  A security clearance might be conducted as part of the recruitment process.

Interested and want to hear more? 

For further information, please contact Vice President Atte Virtanen, atte.virtanen@vtt.fi, +358 50 577 9 770 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Apply between 8 October 2024 and 27 October 2024 23:59 (Europe/Helsinki)

Employment type: Full-time, Permanent

VTT

VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation partner. We drive sustainable growth and tackle the biggest global challenges of our time and turn them into growth opportunities. We go beyond the obvious to help the society and companies to grow through technological innovations. We have 80 years of experience of top-level research and science-based results. VTT is at the sweet spot where innovation and business come together.

VTT – beyond the obvious.