Product Development Engineer

Would you be interested in joining Nera as a Product Development Engineer?

Nera is changing the leather tanning market with a revolutionary new tanning agent called Zeology. Zeology is zeolite-based and chrome-free, aldehyde-free and heavy metal free. A better choice for the environment without compromising on leather performance.

Nera is an in-company scale-up under Royal Smit & Zoon, a global leader in providing chemical solutions for the leather industry. At Royal Smit & Zoon, we are dedicated to making the leather value chain more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible. Until 2020, our focus primarily lay on Wet-End and Finishing products. However, we recognized that the tanning with sustainable chemicals plays a crucial role to impact the complete leather-making process. From this idea, Nera emerged.

As a Product Development Engineer, you'll work on projects related to new products, driving innovation and understanding every step of the way. As part of the team, you'll oversee the entire lifecycle of new products, from conception to market introduction. Working in a dynamic team of leather technologists, plant support chemists, and market experts, you'll organize good collaboration, and combine the collective expertise to bring ideas to practice. Feasibility lab studies and leather application trials will be your playground as you navigate the complexities of innovation. With a keen eye for detail, you ensure that projects are successfully completed.

What will you be doing?

• You lead the development of new products and contribute to technology innovations. This is done from the conceptual phase until the product is introduced in the market. You lead various projects, conduct feasibility studies, and are involved in trial productions. All of this is done within a multifunctional team of leather technologists, plant support, chemists and marketing;
• You work on the development of new products and contribute to technology innovations. This is done from the conceptual phase until the product is introduced in the market.
• You lead various (sub)projects, conduct feasibility lab studies, leather application trials and are involved in pilot productions.
• You will work in a multifunctional team of leather technologists, plant support, chemists, scientists and marketing;
• Anticipating and resolving hurdles in a timely manner, maintaining focus on success criteria and milestones, including timelines and business value. Ensuring strong communication and technical documentation throughout projects regarding progress and decisions made;
• You like to deep dive with the team and find new sustainable ideas to better meet the market’s needs, and engage cross-functional colleagues to create a better understanding;
• Providing internal and external support by accurately addressing customer requests, and analyzing chemical components in the production process or competitive products;
• In this role you report to the R&D Manager Nera.

What do we expect from you?

• Holding a Bachelor's or Master's degree in (Bio-)Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Leather Technology or a similar field of study;
• Possessing a minimum of 3+ years of relevant work experience in chemical product and formulation development within industries, such as leather, textiles, biomaterials, emulsions, polymers, coatings, lubricants, or personal care, with demonstrated expertise in (bio)chemistry;
• Exhibiting strong project management, technical reporting, and communication skills;
• Enjoying working in a laboratory setting;
• Identifying with characteristics such as innovation, results orientation, hands-on approach, open-mindedness, proactivity, systematic thinking, personal growth, and sustainability;
• You have strong communication skills in English, and it is a great advantage if you are also communicatively proficient in Dutch;
• You live within a maximum of 45 minutes of travel time from the locations in Amersfoort and Weesp.

What do we offer you?

Royal Smit & Zoon is driven by family values, beliefs, and ambitions, fostering a culture of sustainability. This family business prioritizes long-term commitment, minimal hierarchy, and swift implementation, effectively seizing global opportunities for change while creating enduring and sustainable value for employees, stakeholders, and society. You will have the opportunity to contribute to creating a socially and environmentally more sustainable leather value chain. Our headquarter is situated in Weesp (a municipality of Amsterdam), easily accessible by public transport. We provide a professional working environment that places emphasis on growth ambitions and colleague well-being. Additionally, we offer:

• A salary dependent upon the job level and your level of knowledge and experience;
• Excellent secondary benefits including a 13th-month bonus, a robust pension scheme, bonus opportunity;
• Hybrid working options;
• Flexible working hours;
• Outstanding training and personal development opportunities.

About Royal Smit & Zoon
Royal Smit & Zoon produces fatliquors and tanning agents for the leather industry. Our products are used, among other things, to make leather flexible and soft, and we sell them to tanneries worldwide. The processed leather is used in the automotive industry, furniture sector, and fashion industry, think of brands such as Timberland, Geox, and Puma. Our mission is to make leather production more sustainable, and our company is a leader in this field, as evidenced by our development of Zeology and our Ecovadis Platinum 2023 certification.

This family owned business, founded in 1821, provides the leather sector with an ample range of products, all complying with the international regulations and specifications, to be effectively used in different end sectors such as footwear, leather goods, apparel, automotive, and furnishing. The company is fully committed to the promotion and improvement of the whole leather value chain in order to make it better, entirely sustainable, safe, and eco-friendly.

In 2021, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands granted Smit & Zoon the Royal predicate for our efforts of seven generations of entrepreneurship, innovation and focus on sustainability in the leather value chain.

Royal Smit & Zoon is active in more than 70 countries around the world. In addition to our headquarters in Weesp, we have offices and factories in Amersfoort (the Netherlands), Germany,

Italy, India and China. In the Netherlands we have about 150 colleagues, worldwide we work with almost 400 employees.

Our mission is to create a socially and environmentally sustainable leather value chain, together. In other words, to create value for customers and society through product and process innovations, and to make people more aware and familiar with sustainable solutions throughout the leather value chain. With this mission we help society as a whole, by offering leather not only as a sustainable basis for all kinds of beautiful products, but also by taking care of our planet and next generations to come.

Apply?
Are you interested? Then apply via the button below and send your CV. For more information, contact Mark Letter (Talent Acquisition Manager) at hr@smitzoon.com or via 06-281 361 19.   

Unsolicited introductions of candidates through recruitment agencies or third parties are not appreciated. Therefore, sent CVs and applications from candidates will be considered direct applications.