Sr. Director Medical Business & Acteev™ Marketing
Apply NowCompany: Ascend Performance Materials
Location: Houston, TX 77084
Description:
Ascend Performance Materials is seeking a strategic, results-oriented Medical Segment Director to lead its global medical business anchored by the HiDURA Med and ActeevMed platforms. Reporting directly to the SVP & CTO, this role has full ownership of the medical segment-responsible for setting direction, growing the business, commercializing products, and ensuring effective execution across regions and functions.
The Director will act as the franchise owner for medical, combining market strategy with tactical leadership to translate innovation into scalable, profitable growth. The role interfaces heavily with global and regional sales leaders, product development, manufacturing, supply chain, regulatory, and executive leadership.
This is a strategic, matrixed global role, requiring deep collaboration with Ascend's commercial organization and senior regional leaders across China, EMEA, and India. The Director must be capable of both setting direction and ensuring follow-through, tailoring go-to-market strategies by region and aligning resources to drive outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
Required Experience:
Industry Expertise:
The successful candidate will bring experience across a broad range of medical applications, such as but not limited to:
Key Competencies:
At Ascend Performance Materials, we value transparency and fairness in our hiring process. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters, search firms, or staffing agencies. Any resumes received from such entities will be considered the property of Ascend Performance Materials, and we will not be obligated to pay any fees for such submissions. Our Talent Acquisition Team actively engages with preferred recruitment partners who have established agreements with us. We encourage all interested candidates to apply directly through our official channels to be considered for any open positions.
Skills Summary:
About Us:
Ascend Performance Materials is the premium provider of high quality chemicals, fibers and plastics. With world scale integrated manufacturing facilities we are able to develop new products from our core technologies, and provide flexibility to respond to the expanding needs of customers. Ascend has global sales and distribution facilities across the globe and six manufacturing facilities globally. As a privately-held company, our people do big things and make big decisions, often much earlier in their careers than at larger companies. Ascend Performance Materials offers team members the opportunity to contribute in big, meaningful ways-all within a stable and growing business.
Why work at Ascend?
Our vision is to be the recognized leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, creating new possibilities with PA66 for everyone, everywhere, every day. We achieve that through living our Ascend values.
We care. We operate safely with high integrity for our employees, our customers and our communities. Our people are our greatest assets, and our Total Rewards Program extends beyond traditional benefits to include access to on-site medical clinics at our U.S. facilities, a global wellness rewards program and Performance Matters, an employee-driven recognition plan. Our Commitment to Zero demonstrates our belief that is it possible to operate with zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents and zero environmental releases. And the Ascend Cares Foundation, led by Ascend employees, supports Ascend families in times of need, provides inspiring opportunities for community engagement and facilitates community leadership.
Customer-focused. We exist for our customers; they drive our actions. Their success is our success. Our plastics and chemicals are building blocks that help make everyday essentials safer and more sustainable, and we constantly strive to develop new and innovative products to meet the future needs of our customers. And that customer focus doesn't only apply to the marketplace - it also applies to how we treat our colleagues and our fellow community members.
Better every day. We invest in our people and our processes to improve every day. A2E, our continuous improvement program, guides the way we do business. And this way of problem solving applies not only to our manufacturing practices but also to our commitment to developing our people. You'll see it during your career at Ascend in our leadership development, skills training and mentoring programs
Agile. We think broadly and lead proactively in a constantly evolving organization and industry. Agility doesn't mean simply working quickly - it means critical thinking, creative problem solving and novel approaches to everyday challenges.
One Ascend. All together, with a common set of goals and an eye toward the future. We don't accept silos. We look for ways to share across departments, sites and geography. This means you won't be boxed into a single role at Ascend - you could get the chance to work with teams across the globe to improve the way we serve our people, our customers and our communities.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information or other protected status under federal, state or local laws.
The Director will act as the franchise owner for medical, combining market strategy with tactical leadership to translate innovation into scalable, profitable growth. The role interfaces heavily with global and regional sales leaders, product development, manufacturing, supply chain, regulatory, and executive leadership.
This is a strategic, matrixed global role, requiring deep collaboration with Ascend's commercial organization and senior regional leaders across China, EMEA, and India. The Director must be capable of both setting direction and ensuring follow-through, tailoring go-to-market strategies by region and aligning resources to drive outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
- Segment Leadership: Define and execute the strategy for the medical segment. Lead portfolio planning and business execution for HiDURA Med and ActeevMed applications.
- Go-to-Market Execution: Work through Ascend's commercial organization to implement regional growth strategies. Directly align with regional sales directors and support distributor readiness and performance.
- Pricing Ownership: Hold full pricing authority by region and application. Run commercial pricing experiments and implement value-based pricing strategies to maximize margin and customer alignment.
- Customer Engagement: Build strategic relationships with global OEMs, molders, design firms, and healthcare innovators. Influence material approval processes and drive customer pull through technical and commercial value.
- Application Development: Identify adjacent growth areas and guide translation of industrial-grade use into controlled medical-grade adoption.
- Product Development: Lead medical initiatives through the Stage Gate process. Align cross-functional resources (R&D, regulatory, manufacturing) to ensure quality, speed, and compliance in new product launches.
- Industry Influence: Represent Ascend in ASTM and other standards committees to shape regulatory landscapes for medical polymers.
- Cross-Functional Alignment: Coordinate with the VP of Engineering Materials and functional leaders to secure prioritization of medical initiatives in manufacturing, supply chain, and operational planning.
Required Experience:
- PhD in Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science strongly preferred; MBA is a major plus. Minimum requirement: BS with MBA.
- 10-20 years of experience in the medical plastics, devices, or healthcare materials industries.
- Deep knowledge of polyamides and copolyamides is highly desirable, especially in medical application contexts.
- Proven success in leading material qualification processes and serving on or engaging with OEM material selection committees.
- Strong global and cross-functional leadership capabilities, including experience in matrixed environments.
- Demonstrated ability to scale innovation into commercial success at leading medical OEMs (e.g., J&J, Medtronic, BD).
Industry Expertise:
The successful candidate will bring experience across a broad range of medical applications, such as but not limited to:
- Robotic surgical instruments (e.g., endocutters, powered laparoscopic tools)
- Surgical tools and medical clamps
- Fluid handling devices (e.g., catheters, IV sets, blood bags)
- Bioprocessing systems used in pharmaceuticals and biologics
- Medical filtration systems
- Device housings and precision components requiring high compliance and performance
Key Competencies:
- Entrepreneurial and action-oriented, with a strong bias for action and comfort operating in high-ambiguity environments.
- Data-driven, with strong analytical and commercial instincts.
- Executive presence, able to engage credibly across internal and customer leadership.
- Collaborative and communicative, building strong cross-functional and customer partnerships.
- Humble and influential, with the confidence to lead and the empathy to bring others along.
- Skilled in value communication, pricing, and strategic marketing across technical domains.
At Ascend Performance Materials, we value transparency and fairness in our hiring process. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters, search firms, or staffing agencies. Any resumes received from such entities will be considered the property of Ascend Performance Materials, and we will not be obligated to pay any fees for such submissions. Our Talent Acquisition Team actively engages with preferred recruitment partners who have established agreements with us. We encourage all interested candidates to apply directly through our official channels to be considered for any open positions.
Skills Summary:
About Us:
Ascend Performance Materials is the premium provider of high quality chemicals, fibers and plastics. With world scale integrated manufacturing facilities we are able to develop new products from our core technologies, and provide flexibility to respond to the expanding needs of customers. Ascend has global sales and distribution facilities across the globe and six manufacturing facilities globally. As a privately-held company, our people do big things and make big decisions, often much earlier in their careers than at larger companies. Ascend Performance Materials offers team members the opportunity to contribute in big, meaningful ways-all within a stable and growing business.
Why work at Ascend?
Our vision is to be the recognized leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, creating new possibilities with PA66 for everyone, everywhere, every day. We achieve that through living our Ascend values.
We care. We operate safely with high integrity for our employees, our customers and our communities. Our people are our greatest assets, and our Total Rewards Program extends beyond traditional benefits to include access to on-site medical clinics at our U.S. facilities, a global wellness rewards program and Performance Matters, an employee-driven recognition plan. Our Commitment to Zero demonstrates our belief that is it possible to operate with zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents and zero environmental releases. And the Ascend Cares Foundation, led by Ascend employees, supports Ascend families in times of need, provides inspiring opportunities for community engagement and facilitates community leadership.
Customer-focused. We exist for our customers; they drive our actions. Their success is our success. Our plastics and chemicals are building blocks that help make everyday essentials safer and more sustainable, and we constantly strive to develop new and innovative products to meet the future needs of our customers. And that customer focus doesn't only apply to the marketplace - it also applies to how we treat our colleagues and our fellow community members.
Better every day. We invest in our people and our processes to improve every day. A2E, our continuous improvement program, guides the way we do business. And this way of problem solving applies not only to our manufacturing practices but also to our commitment to developing our people. You'll see it during your career at Ascend in our leadership development, skills training and mentoring programs
Agile. We think broadly and lead proactively in a constantly evolving organization and industry. Agility doesn't mean simply working quickly - it means critical thinking, creative problem solving and novel approaches to everyday challenges.
One Ascend. All together, with a common set of goals and an eye toward the future. We don't accept silos. We look for ways to share across departments, sites and geography. This means you won't be boxed into a single role at Ascend - you could get the chance to work with teams across the globe to improve the way we serve our people, our customers and our communities.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information or other protected status under federal, state or local laws.