About this role
Company Description
We’re looking for an R&D Manager - Ucrete to join our Research and Development team
Redditch, Worcestershire
Hybrid working where compatible with laboratory and site responsibilities
About Sika
Sika is a speciality chemicals company with a globally leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing and protection in the building sector and industrial manufacturing. Sika has subsidiaries in 102 countries and, in over 400 factories, produces innovative technologies for customers worldwide. With more than 34,000 employees, the company generated sales of CHF 11.76 billion in 2024.
Job Description
About Research and Development - Ucrete
Ucrete is Sika’s high-performance resin flooring technology for demanding industrial environments. Based at our Redditch Technology Centre, the Ucrete R&D team develops and maintains robust flooring solutions for customers operating in sectors where durability, hygiene, chemical resistance and dependable performance matter. The team works closely with manufacturing, technical service, quality, procurement and commercial colleagues, while also connecting into Sika’s wider international R&D network.
Purpose of the Role
This is a key technical leadership role with responsibility for the effective delivery of Ucrete product development and product maintenance activities at Redditch. You will provide clear direction to the local R&D team, strengthen experimental and data-led ways of working, and ensure that projects move from technical concept to industrially robust solutions. Alongside people leadership and formulation expertise, you will lead the development of stronger digital R&D capability, ensuring that experimental data is well structured, reusable and actively exploited through design of experiments, advanced analytics and appropriate AI/ML-enabled tools. The role will help protect the existing Ucrete range while accelerating the creation of differentiated next-generation flooring technologies.
What’s In it for You?
The Opportunity:
• Lead and develop the Redditch Ucrete R&D team, creating a safe, collaborative and high-performing laboratory environment.
• Own a balanced portfolio of innovation, product maintenance, raw-material change and technical support projects, using clear priorities, milestones, data-based decision criteria and measurable business outcomes.
• Shape technically robust formulations and solutions through sound polymer chemistry, structured experimentation and design of experiments, supported by high-quality digital data, statistical modelling and clear visualisation of technical evidence.
• Build the team’s data-science capability, promoting consistent data architecture and metadata, effective use of Nuage and other approved systems, and the responsible application of AI/ML to identify patterns, improve experimental learning and support formulation and performance prediction.
The Rewards:
You will be rewarded with a competitive salary and a strong package of benefits. We pride ourselves on our total reward offer:
• EV/PHEV company car fleet or car cash allowance
• Bonus scheme
• 25 days’ holiday, rising to 28 days with service, plus bank holidays
• Hybrid and core-hours working, balanced with the practical requirements of an R&D leadership role
• Company pension contribution of up to 10%, private healthcare and group life cover at six times annual salary
• Global Income Protection, enhanced family leave, staff discounts, Cycle to Work and service awards
The Support:
You will join an established technology centre with access to experienced laboratory, manufacturing, quality and commercial colleagues, as well as Sika’s broader global R&D community. The role has the visibility and support needed to influence priorities, build team capability and ensure that technically strong ideas are converted into dependable products and business value.
The Skills:
The role offers scope to deepen your leadership of formulation-led R&D, portfolio management and cross-functional technology transfer, while establishing data science as a practical enabler of Ucrete innovation. You will be encouraged to develop the team’s capability in design of experiments, digital data management, statistical analysis, visualisation and AI/ML-enabled approaches that improve learning, decision quality, formulation insight and development speed. This is not a standalone data-science position: success will come from connecting robust laboratory science with well-governed data and commercially relevant technical decisions.
From day one, Sika will support your professional and personal development through local learning, product knowledge, leadership development and the global Sika Business School offering.
The Future:
Potential career routes include broader R&D leadership, technology leadership, global product development and other senior technical or innovation roles across Sika. You will have the opportunity to progress within a global company spanning a wide range of technologies, markets and business areas.
Qualifications
What we need from you?
• A degree in chemistry, polymer science, materials science, chemical engineering or a closely related discipline, supported by substantial industrial formulation or product-development experience.
• Strong knowledge of polymeric materials and formulated systems; experience of resin flooring, polyurethane, cementitious polyurethane or adjacent technologies would be highly advantageous.
• Proven ability to lead, coach and organise technical teams while maintaining high standards of health, safety, laboratory practice and personal accountability.
• A structured, data-led approach to innovation and product maintenance, including portfolio prioritisation, design of experiments, statistical data interpretation, visualisation, technical documentation and delivery against agreed milestones.
• The ability to improve digital R&D practice by setting expectations for data quality, structure, metadata and reuse. Practical experience with tools such as advanced Excel, statistical software, Python, Power BI or AI/ML applications in scientific R&D would be advantageous.
• Practical understanding of product-change processes, manufacturing scale-up and formulation transfer, with the confidence to integrate laboratory evidence, manufacturing data and commercial requirements across R&D, operations, quality, regulatory and commercial functions.
• Clear, credible communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the judgement to challenge constructively, explain complex technical and analytical findings, and turn evidence into practical recommendations.
Additional Information
We offer competitive salaries, aligned with local market benchmarks and the specific scope and responsibilities of each role. Compensation is determined based skills relevant to the position, education and/or training. We are committed to fair and equitable pay practices in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.