Sales and Technical Lead

About AkzoNobel

Since 1792, we've been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people's lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We're active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It's what you'd expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that's dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let's paint the future together.

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We're looking for a customer-focused professional to manage commercial and technical support for a key marine coatings customer in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. You'll build strong relationships with the shipyard and its clients, ensuring AkzoNobel remains the preferred coatings partner. The role involves providing on-site technical support for maintenance, repair, and new build projects, ensuring high-quality, safe, and compliant applications. You'll also deliver training to customers and support the development of Saudi Nationals.

Sales activities:

• Managing the day to sales activities at the customers facility.
• Deliver sales plans based upon shipyard schedules for projects for the supply and demand teams.  
• Be an integral part of the Middle East Marine & Protective coatings team through strong communication with stakeholders.
• Supporting tenders, contract implementation and claim handling as the focal contact at the customer, as well as delivering on budget commitments. 
• You will be required to have an aligned strategy with the regional sales manager and implement the same.
• Be a focal point for project information, expertise and analytics.

Technical service activities:

• Represent the Company during M&R, NB projects; protect the interests of the Company and provide advice to Customer in the allocated area.
• Obtain approval from the sales manager if any revisions to the paint specification are requested.
• Produce a final paint specification which should be submitted to the customer.
• Align paint deliveries, check paint on delivery to the shipyard and record all batch numbers.
• Participate in technical inspections (fouling, paint condition, surface preparation and paint application) together with customers, shipyard's and their subcontractor's QC personnel.
• Monitor and record environmental conditions.
• Ensure that paint mixing and thinning (when required) are properly carried out.
• Ensure that at the initial project planning all paint application processes and standards are agreed.
• Measure wet and dry film thicknesses and support the volume/area control as and when appropriate.
• Ensure that maximum and minimum overcoating intervals and time to dock flooding are adhered to.
• Contribute to quality control by monitoring/observing and advising all stakeholders.
• Arrange and/or participate in project meetings for projects, where and when required to discuss/resolve/agree on issues relating to inspection and application procedures, special requirements for the coating systems, meeting and reporting schedules and sub-standard work procedures.
• Report on progress on a daily bases; ensure timely and regular reporting during project by maintaining a site diary for NB projects and a Project Logbook for M&R projects.
• Manage demonstrations of paint / non-paint and transfer the knowledge on processes as well as on technical problem solving to the customers.
• Ensure that assigned inspection and PPE equipment is in good working order and where appropriate are within calibration.
• Arrange calibration of inspection and PPE equipment.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience in a sales/ technical role or similar position, min 10 years in painting industry (ship building, ship repair). For internal candidate Technical service training Modular program has to be completed.
• Local driving license of residence country

Qualifications/Education

• NACE II or FROSIO III Paint inspector qualification
• Management/General Skills 
• Good English language skills with Arabic and/or Korean as a plus
• Good written reporting skills (qualitative and quantitative skills)
• Customer focused communication skills 
• Independent and self-starter in planning and managing work schedules with a high level of personal and professional integrity with limited need of direct management support

Functional Skills

• Ability to act as a local authority on all technical issues and takes the lead on resolving them effectively. 
• Sound knowledge on paint products, application technologies, coating international standards and coating certification. Marine new building experience is a plus.

At AkzoNobel we are highly committed to ensuring an inclusive and respectful workplace where all employees can be their best self. We strive to embrace diversity in a context of tolerance. Our talent acquisition process plays an integral part in this journey, as setting the foundations for a diverse environment. For this reason we train and educate on the implications of our Unconscious Bias in order for our TA and hiring managers to be mindful of them and take corrective actions when applicable. In our organization, all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age or disability.

Requisition ID: 49482