Technical Services Manager CFT

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Job Summary

Ketjen is hiring a Technical Services Manager CFT within the CFT Technical Excellence department in Europe. The role reports to the Technical Excellence Director CFT and leads the Technical Excellence Specialists supporting our customers in Europe and Africa.

In this role, you will coordinate regional Technical Services for CFT catalysts, support commercial objectives, and ensure customers receive reliable, the required technical support.

You will provide technical leadership, strengthen customer relationships, ensure the quality of proposals and documentation, coach the regional team, and personally support selected your own set of customers as well.

What You Will Do

• Own & set the regional CFT Technical Services strategy and annual plan, aligned with the Technical Excellence Director CFT and Regional General Manager CFT.
• Be accountable for translating business priorities into clear technical priorities, resource plans, and team objectives. Help to reduce business risks.
• Ensure the region delivers consistent, high-quality technical service, proposals, and customer-facing materials.
• Act as the senior technical interface for key customers, building management-level relationships and influencing technical and commercial decisions.
• Provide high quality technical support yourself to assigned customers.
• Lead the resolution of complex customer issues, ensuring technical, commercial, and cross-functional alignment.
• Approve or validate technical proposals, documentation, and recommendations before they are shared with customers.
• Drive effective use of technical expertise, systems, processes, and data to improve service quality and team productivity.
• Ensure customer and process information is validated, shared, and protected to support model improvement, product development, and future customer references.
• Oversee technical customer complaints and ensure timely analysis, follow-up, and closure.
• Represent Technical Services in customer presentations, seminars, publications, and product-support activities.
• Lead, coach, and develop the regional Technical Excellence team, including capacity planning, recruitment, succession, and workforce planning.
• Ensure the team operates in compliance with company policies and applicable environmental and safety requirements.
• Accountable to support the development and regional implementation of Ketjen’s CFT Technical Services digitalization strategy.

What You Bring

Required

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• More than 10 years of relevant experience in Technical Services, business, marketing, research and technology, or a combination of these areas.
• In-depth knowledge of the catalyst business and customer-facing refinery applications.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including coaching and developing technical professionals.
• Strong strategic, commercial, advisory, influencing, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to build effective networks in a complex international organization.
• Strong presentation skills, including the ability to explain technical and economic recommendations to customers and colleagues.
• Project-management experience, including setting objectives and managing timing, resources, budgets, and implementation.
• Ability to work independently, manage conflicting interests, and collaborate across functions, countries, and cultures.

Preferred

• Experience leading a regional or international Technical Services team.
• Experience managing complex customer issues and validating high-value technical proposals.
• Experience working across Technical Excellence, Sales, Marketing, R&D, and regional commercial teams.
• Knowledge of languages relevant to the assigned region.

Why This Role Matters

This role connects technical expertise, customer needs, and commercial priorities. It shapes the regional technical agenda, improves customer support, and develops the Technical Excellence organization.