Sr. Manager - Compounding & Foam Extrusion

Cruz Foam is a mission-driven company dedicated to accelerating the adoption of sustainable material. We achieve our mission by hiring truly talented people that are inspired, kind and work extremely hard to make simple yet transformational sustainable products that solve complex customer problems. We are a diverse, human-centric company where inspired people make inspirational products.

The Sr. Manager – Compounding and Foam Extrusion will be a member of the Commercial Operations Team, reporting to the VP of Ops & Supply Chain. They will work closely with the R&D, Production and Product teams to develop new formulations and coordinate the transition to Commercial Operations. The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise in foam extrusion (e.g., crosslinked, non-crosslinked, XPS, EPS, PE, or PP foams) and in compounding thermoplastic materials with additives, fillers, and modifiers.

Location: Greensboro, NC with > 25-30% travel to manufacturing sites in the Midwest and West Coast. (Cruz Foam, Inc. HQ is in Santa Cruz, CA.)

About you:

●      You are a passionate, creative, and curious problem solver with a can-do attitude.

●      You prioritize kindness and collaboration.

●      You are comfortable wearing many hats and enjoy pushing the limits of your comfort zone.

●      You care deeply about the environment and commit to using your superpowers to help.

• Support our mission by leading efforts to grow our commercial operations
• Support cross-functional projects to deliver world-class products and coordinate communications between teams in all departments
• Embrace a culture of effective teamwork within a Production environment

• Assist with installation and commissioning of extrusion and compounding lines
• Partner with engineering and R&D to validate and scale new formulations
• Build out SOPs, safety protocols, and process documentation

• Operate and supervise initial production batches and small-scale manufacturing
• Develop scalable processes for foam sheet or profile extrusion using physical/chemical blowing agents
• Manage in-house compounding of polymers with additives, fillers, or specialty resins

• Hire, train, and lead a small but growing production team as the company scales
• Foster a lean, safety-conscious, and performance-oriented team culture
• Collaborate with R&D, quality, sales, finance and product

• Monitor process KPIs and drive improvements in yield, consistency, cell structure, overall equipment efficiency
• Solve real-time manufacturing issues and own root cause/corrective action implementation
• Support prototyping and small-volume custom runs for customers or product pilots

• Lead selection and qualification of raw materials (e.g., polymers, foaming agents, additives)
• Own equipment decisions: extruders, dies, pelletizers, chillers, controls
• Ensure compliance with safety, regulatory, and environmental requirements from day one

• Bachelor’s degree in Plastics Engineering, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field (master’s preferred)
• 10+ years of experience in plastics processing with at least 5 years in foam extrusion and polymer compounding
• Hands-on knowledge of physical and chemical foaming techniques, plastics compounding, polymer rheology and extrusion design
• Strong understanding of twin-screw compounding technologies
• Lean manufacturing & Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher)
• Proven track record for successfully implementing R&D developments into scaled up commercial operations
• Includes experience with raw material and equipment sourcing as well as development and implementation of any QC instruments and testing protocols
• Experience in startup or greenfield manufacturing environments is strongly preferred
• Strong leadership, project management, and cross-functional coordination skills
• Ability to clearly articulate complex ideas and excellent communication skills
• Ability to thrive and adapt in a fast-paced, high-growth and rapidly changing environment
• Creativity and ability to work independently with limited guidance

If you’re excited about this role, but do not meet 100% of the qualifications listed above, Cruz Foam encourages you to apply.

We are an equal opportunity employer. At Cruz Foam we value the diversity of individuals, ideas, perspectives, insights and values, and what they bring to the workplace. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified applicants with disabilities in our job application and recruitment process.