Advanced Scientist - Digital Printing

Michelman Careers•Cincinnati, OH

About The Position

Michelman is seeking an Advanced Scientist to join its Global Research & Development organization and support the Inkjet platform within the Digital Print business. The role focuses on developing waterborne product prototypes by connecting structure/property fundamentals with novel product functionality. The scientist will identify and screen technologies and materials for market and company fit, then collaborate with sales, technology, marketing, and manufacturing teams to turn concepts into successful product platforms. The position serves as a technical resource on a team developing coating products for the inkjet packaging market and its end-use applications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer/Materials Science, or a related field.
At least five years of relevant experience.
Practical experience developing waterborne products, additives, and/or formulations for inkjet printing primer and coating applications.
Excellent analytical and observation skills.
Ability to develop new laboratory methods as needed to address technical challenges and train others in their effective use.
Experience with stage-gate project management and the documentation required by that process.
Ability to adapt to changing business priorities and manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.
Strong written and verbal interpersonal and communication skills.
Ability to travel by car or plane to visit customers when needed.
Ability to use required personal protective equipment, including safety shoes.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
Demonstrated track record of innovation, technology scouting, and/or process or product prototyping is highly desirable.
Basic understanding of substrates coated in digital printing applications and the methods used to apply coatings to them.
Practical experience developing waterborne materials and/or formulated products.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with sales and marketing to develop problem statements based on market trends and latent customer needs.
Lead development of application-centric solutions enabled by Michelman technologies within the Digital Print team.
Design new, sometimes complex, lab-scale product development experiments and conduct them or coordinate their execution by others.
Build working knowledge of coating application methods and performance tests to support development of new concepts.
Develop product prototypes through iterative preparation of lab-scale batches and test them against market-relevant success criteria and controls.
Thoroughly and accurately document experiments, analyses, and testing results.
Deliver project-related information and results to company partners in a timely manner.
Plan, initiate, and execute projects using Michelman’s project management process.
Provide written and verbal reports on technical results and conclusions to business and technology leadership.
Collaborate with the global technical team to foster idea exchange and knowledge transfer.
Draft clear user guidelines for Michelman products, both as application-ready solutions and as additives to be formulated with other materials.
Provide technical support for customer trials.
Lead internal discussions to keep colleagues up to date on relevant product and application issues.
Maintain a clean and safe work environment.
Perform related duties as assigned or as circumstances require.