Market Development Specialist

Title: Market Development Specialist

Location: Remote in MA, NY, NJ, DE,

Who we are:

Voted one of the Nation's Best and Brightest Companies to Work for, Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) is a global leader in specialty chemical, fiber, and resin production. With top-of-the-line research and production facilities and a vast network of supplies from around the world, Kuraray leads the industry in specialty dental, fiber, resin, and elastomer products. Kuraray America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuraray Company, Ltd. Based in Tokyo, Japan. Kuraray has operations in 32 countries and employs more than 12,000 employees, including over 800 in the United States.

Why Kuraray:

Kuraray is building a better tomorrow, today. Our team members are dedicated to expanding our business with committed professionals who share essential values such as integrity, excellence, teamwork, and accountability.

As a part of Kuraray America, Inc., our team shares the advantages of working for the leader in specialty chemicals, resins, and fibers. Our international presence and resources allow us to be a world-leading innovator in the industries we service. Yet, despite our size, our people are more than just a number. As a new team member, you can expect to earn responsibility quickly. Our commitment to our people is visible in our comprehensive benefits package. As a Kuraray team member, you will have the opportunity to enjoy competitive salaries and benefits, incentive opportunities, and an excellent work environment.

Position Summary:

The Market Development Specialist, SCAPOVA reports and supports the Strategic Business Development Manager in executing U.S. market development activities for SCAPOVA. This individual contributor role coordinates customer and distributor follow-up, target account research, sample and order activities, conferences and seminars, digital marketing support, CRM reporting, and voice-of-customer collection to strengthen market engagement in the U.S. life sciences market.

Responsibilities:

Market Research & Lead Development

• Support U.S. market development by researching biotechnology, pharmaceutical, CDMO, regenerative medicine, cell therapy, bioprocessing, and life science tool companies and maintaining organized target account and contact lists.
• Qualify leads by documenting customer needs, application interests, potential fit, sample interest, outreach status, follow-up priority, and recommended next actions.

Customer & Distributor Engagement

• Conduct or support approved customer outreach and coordinate introductory discussions and follow-up actions with customers, distributors, the Strategic Business Development Manager, and Japan-based stakeholders.
• Collect and summarize voice-of-customer feedback, including customer needs, questions, objections, adoption barriers, application interests, and next steps.
• Coordinate routine distributor communication, customer orders, sample requests, shipment status, inventory or product supply requests, customer evaluations, and related follow-up with Japan-based teams.

Events, Conferences & Market Presence

• Support selected conferences, exhibitions, customer visits, seminars, webinars, and networking activities, including pre-event research, meeting scheduling, logistics, lead capture, and post-event follow-up.

Marketing & Communications Support

• Coordinate with internal stakeholders on SCAPOVA-related website updates, announcements, campaign content, event communications, promotional materials, and inbound inquiry routing.
• Use approved messaging and clearly distinguish current research-use-only product status from any approved future clinical-grade product communications. Escalate pricing, contractual, quality, regulatory, legal, technical, product-status, or claims-related matters to the appropriate stakeholder.

CRM, Reporting & Data Management

• Maintain accurate CRM and customer tracking records for target accounts, contacts, distributor interactions, samples, orders, events, seminars, digital inquiries, and follow-up actions.
• Prepare weekly activity reports and monthly summaries covering outreach, customer engagement, sample evaluations, event outcomes, market feedback, digital inquiries, and recommended priorities.

Market & Competitive Intelligence

• Collect and summarize market and competitive intelligence from customers, distributors, conferences, publications, public sources, digital channels, and industry interactions.

Other Duties

• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of SCAPOVA market development activities.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in life sciences, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, business, marketing, supply chain, communications, or a related field.
• Minimum of three years of relevant experience in life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, CDMO, life science tools, or related commercial support functions.
• Customer-facing experience in business development, technical sales, account/distributor support, customer operations, events, or marketing.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with customers and cross-functional teams.Experience using CRM or customer tracking systems and Microsoft Office applications, including Teams, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to travel 20% or more in the U.S and occasionally Canada for customer visits, conferences, exhibitions, and seminars.
• Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States.

Competencies:

• Customer Focus
  • Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Business Insight
  • Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals.
• Cultivates Innovation
  • Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.

• Action Oriented
  • Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Ensures Accountability
  • Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Drives Results
  • Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstance
• Collaborates
  • Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Values Difference
  • Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization
• Communicates Effectively
  • Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Courage
  • Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
• Instills Trust
  • Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Situational Adaptability
  • Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations.

We offer a competitive compensation package that includes base pay and an annual incentive. This program is designed to reward individual performance and align overall rewards with corporate and team performance.

Our employees benefit from a robust healthcare package that includes wellness reimbursements, along with generous perks such as three weeks of paid time off, ten company holidays, paid parental leave, education reimbursement, and a matching 401k plan, among other offerings.

Compensation:
The expected base salary range for this position is $81,399.24 - $122,098.85 annually.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S.

Learn more at kuraray.us.com/careers/

Kuraray America, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity/disability/protected veteran status

No third-party candidates accepted.