Portal
Our Talent Advisors were engaged to fill a Pilot Plant Manager role to oversee the operation and management of our client’s R&D pilot plant. This critical leadership position required deep expertise in chemical engineering, process scale-up from laboratory to production scale, and proven project management capabilities to ensure successful technology translation and commercialization while maintaining the highest safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
Client Profile
Our client is a global leader in industrial mineral solutions, mining, processing, and distributing materials including silica, clays, feldspathics, olivine, and high-purity quartz. Operating across more than 30 countries, they serve key industries from glass and ceramics to construction, solar technology, and smartphone displays. The company is also a major player in glass recycling, processing millions of tons annually.
Our Approach
Through close collaboration with our client to understand their specific technical requirements, our Talent Advisors identified a highly accomplished candidate with over twenty years of specialized experience in catalyst technology and process scale-up. Our candidate brought a PhD in Chemistry, a proven track record of launching 30+ technologies valued at $12M combined, and hands-on experience leading technical teams. His background in starting up manufacturing facilities, managing multi-million-dollar operations, and holding multiple patents made him uniquely qualified to drive innovation and operational excellence in pilot plant management.
Client Impact
The Pilot Plant Manager position was strategically important for overseeing the scale-up of processes from laboratory to production while ensuring compliance with safety and quality standards. The geographic location and highly technical nature of the position created significant recruitment challenges. Understanding the complexity of this search, our client engaged Messina for our technical recruiting expertise and was extremely pleased with our ability to identify an exceptional candidate who exceeded their requirements. Our successful placement of a seasoned leader with proven innovation experience, multiple patents, and hands-on success in scaling manufacturing operations will directly support the client’s R&D initiatives and advance their technology commercialization goals.
