Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 13,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2025 revenue of approximately $8.8 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

The Role

This is a Brand & Application Development position supporting the Naia™ platform. This position sits within Eastman’s technology organization and provides support for our Fibers business organization. The emphasis will be on our Naia™ filament and staple products for the textile industry. The position reports through the Group Leader Textile Technical Service, located in Kingsport, TN, USA and is part of a global team.

Responsibilities

Partner with commercial team to deliver new business growth
Lead design & technical discussions with brands. Determine which technical value propositions are meaningful.
Demonstrate trend tracking and textile design expertise, with the ability to prepare and present design, trend, and seasonal concepts to brands and bring back feedback to mills
Translate design concepts into physical, constructible fabrics, with the ability to present targeted fabric collections that highlight key value propositions
Utilize technical knowledge of fiber properties, yarn blends, fabric designs and constructions, with the ability to evaluate technical suitability and fitness-for-use directly at the brand level
Serving as a cross-functional liaison, bridging internal technical, commercial and marketing teams to identify new opportunities and advance current opportunities
Assess opportunities and advice on unmet needs, competitive products, where-to-play, and how-to-win
Strong relationship-building skills with mills and brands, sustaining engagement through ongoing technical and design touchpoints
Understanding of brand positioning, pricing tiers, and target segments, with the ability to match fabric families to brands across regions
Support marketing function for tradeshows, building technical and design materials and providing organized approach to managing fabric libraries, including seasonal rotation, updates, and archiving
Knowledgeable about knitting, weaving, dyeing, finishing and garment processes.
Attend textile exhibitions and trade shows, stay current on innovations and market trends
Coach and advise other functions (internal) on fabric needs and opportunities

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in design (fabric or fashion), engineering (textile, chemical, mechanical), chemistry, textile chemistry, textile technology or related field is required.
Minimum 5 years of industry experience in textiles required; 10+ preferred
Willingness and ability to travel approximately 30-40%, mainly within EMEA is required
Experience with regional and/or international brands is highly desired
Experience with regional and international apparel sourcing mills is highly desired
Significant experience with fabric designs and constructions
Customer engagement experience is highly desired
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Project leadership experience preferred including short-term and long-term project planning and participation on cross-functional team
Marketing and/or business acumen preferred
Self-motivated and able to work both independently and as a team member with both internal and external partners

Eastman Chemical Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, pregnancy, veteran status or any other protected classes as designated by law.

Eastman is committed to creating a highly engaged workforce, where everyone can contribute to their fullest potential each day.

Eastman

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Textile Brand Applications Development Representative