Technical Manager

Technical Manager

The Technical Manager is the technical owner and commercial executor of one product category. The position carries the category's technical authority — product configuration, application suitability, troubleshooting and continuous product improvement — and executes commercially on it: qualifying opportunities before they are quoted, completing the critical and high-value quotations, and project-managing the important capital jobs through to customer acceptance with the support of the application group project managers. The work spans the category's full value stream: the installed base and competition, field sales support and application definition, quoting to a margin target, project delivery, and the consumables and aftermarket business that follows. The Technical Manager is the subject-matter expert supporting all digital transformation efforts for the category, including its CPQ modules, and drives it toward field quoting by sales. The position calls for a strong presenter who maintains good communication and working relationships with Engineering, Manufacturing, R&D, Supply Chain, Quality, and Sales and Service.

Responsibilities include:

• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the installed base and of competitive products and work with Sales leadership to develop the strategies to compete.
• Provide applications, technical and training support to customers, Sales, Service, Manufacturing, Quality, Customer Service and licensees — both the specialist depth and the day-to-day questions.
• Travel as the category requires to support customers, sales, trials and installations; the expectation is 25–50% of working time.
• Complete critical and high-value quotations personally; route routine and overflow volume to the vertical's quoting and project management resource with a complete scope package/meeting as appropriate.
• Project-manage the critical and important capital jobs on the product line, through customer acceptance.
• Work with Quality Control and Sales to investigate documented quality complaints thoroughly — on capital equipment and consumables alike — and drive them to resolution; guide the business on the changes needed to prevent the same mistake recurring.
• Own the resolution of trouble jobs on the category end to end — coordinate the departments involved, drive it to a resolution that satisfies the customer and Kadant, and keep management informed.
• Provide application and technical support on the category's consumables to customers, Sales, Service and licensees.
• Drive and act as subject-matter expert for every CPQ module in the category — own the configuration logic, rules, option sets and pricing content, and work with IT and the department CPQ lead to build and maintain them.
• Support our mission, values (teamwork, integrity, dedication, respect, innovation, excellence), and customer message (mindshare, people, added value, digital transformation, and user experience).

Kadant Solutions, based in Auburn, Massachusetts, develops, manufactures, and markets a wide range of doctoring, cleaning, filtration, and forming systems and related consumables used in process industries worldwide including construction roofing materials, food processing, metals processing, nonwovens, pulp and paper, textiles and fibers, and tissue.

Why consider joining the Kadant team?

• Kadant was named as one of America's Most Responsible Companies 2021-2026 by Newsweek.
• Kadant was named as one of America's Greatest Companies 2025 by Newsweek.
• Kadant was named as one of America's Greenest Companies 2025 by Newsweek.
• 100% of Kadant's energy comes from renewable sources.
• Kadant serves several process industries including lithium-ion battery production, food processing, metals processing, carbon fiber, nonwovens, textiles, and construction roofing materials.
• At Kadant, our customer-focused innovation allows us to deliver Sustainable Industrial Processing™ engineering services and technologies to help our customers create more value with fewer inputs.

Qualifications:

• In-depth knowledge of the paper making process, with a BS degree in Pulp and Paper, Mechanical or Chemical Engineering, or a minimum of 10 years experience in a paper mill or with a supplier to the paper industry.
• Demonstrate consistent logic, rationality and objectivity in decision making.
• Seek out and seize opportunities; go beyond the call of duty; find ways to surmount barriers.
• Regularly monitor customer satisfaction.
• Results oriented. Sound judgment and the ability to balance time across multiple management responsibilities.
• High energy level, comfortable performing multi-faceted tasks alongside day-to-day activities.
• Superior interpersonal ability — able to get along with diverse personalities; tactful, mature, flexible and a team player.
• This position requires travel in support of achieving goals and objectives; the expectation is 25–50% of working time. Work includes visits to operating paper mills and industrial plants, which requires the use of personal protective equipment and the ability to move about an active production environment.