Director of Technology (Polymer)

Director / Head of Polymer Technology

Location: Pune, India

Experience: 10–12 years | Minimum 5 years in senior leadership

About Zerocircle

Zerocircle is reimagining the material world. We create next-generation packaging and coatings from seaweed and other regenerative natural sources — designed for performance, affordability, and real industry adoption. Our work replaces conventional plastics with materials that are truly ocean-safe, compostable, and scalable for global impact.

We're looking for a Director of Polymer Technology — a visionary technologist with the hands-on rigor of a scientist and the leadership instincts of a builder — to lead our material innovation program from lab discovery to industrial deployment.

What You'll Do

• Lead Advanced Polymer R&D: Oversee the formulation, synthesis, and characterization of new materials derived from natural polymers, with a focus on mechanical strength, moisture resistance, and sealability.
• Drive Scale-Up and Tech Transfer: Translate lab-scale breakthroughs into scalable, commercially viable manufacturing processes. Establish process controls, documentation, and validation protocols.
• Integrate Chemistry and Engineering: Bridge bench chemistry with process engineering to ensure reproducibility, performance consistency, and manufacturability.
• Guide and Mentor a High-Performing Team: Lead a diverse team of scientists, chemists, and PhDs across material science, biopolymers, and packaging. Build an innovation culture grounded in rigor, curiosity, and shared purpose.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Partner with design, sustainability, and business teams to align R&D direction with product and market goals.
• Own External Collaborations: Liaise with research institutions, technical partners, and manufacturing collaborators to accelerate development timelines.
• Establish Global Standards: Build a materials roadmap that positions Zerocircle at the forefront of bio-based technology, with clear technical benchmarks for performance, circularity, and compliance.

Who You Are

• Scientist to Builder: You began your journey in the lab — with a strong grounding in polymer chemistry, formulation, and testing — and evolved into a leader who drives engineering execution and technology transfer.
• Natural Polymer Expert: Deep experience with polysaccharides, proteins, gums, or other natural polymer systems, including modification, blending, and film/coating development.
• Scale-Up Proven: Demonstrated success in taking material innovations from concept (0) to production (1), ideally in bio-based packaging, coatings, or advanced materials.
• Engineering-Fluent: Strong understanding of pilot-scale and industrial-scale process design, including drying, extrusion, coating, and film casting technologies.
• Leadership-Driven: At least 5 years leading technical teams — with a track record of motivating scientists to achieve at the intersection of purpose and performance.
• Mission-Led: You believe material innovation can drive environmental restoration and want your work to create measurable, global impact.

Why Zerocircle

You'll be part of a company redefining what's possible with nature-based materials — where the lab connects directly to the ocean, and every formulation has a purpose beyond performance.

You'll build not just materials, but the foundation of a new material economy.

Skills Required
Polymer Chemistry, Process Engineering