Associate Manager, Formulation / Chemistry

SC Johnson•Racine, WI

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Manager, Formulation / Chemistry with SC Johnson Professional is based at SC Johnson’s global headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin. The role helps develop and bring innovative, effective, and sustainable professional cleaning and hygiene products to market for healthcare, industrial, food manufacturing, and institutional environments. It independently leads technical projects involving new product development, product enhancements, and emerging technologies across cleaning, disinfecting, and floor care, collaborating with cross-functional and global teams to advance the surface hygiene innovation pipeline and address customer and business needs. The position combines technical expertise, innovative thinking, project leadership, and cross-functional influence. The Associate Manager owns innovation initiatives, explores new technologies, and contributes to the growth of SC Johnson Professional’s surface hygiene portfolio. Work is conducted in an office and laboratory environment. Remote work is available once a week after a 90-day onboarding period; the role requires up to 20% domestic and international travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline with 5+ years of formulation or product development experience; or a Master’s degree with 3+ years of relevant experience; or a PhD with relevant applied product development experience.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience in professional cleaning, hygiene, disinfectants, floor care, or related product technologies.
Knowledge of formulation science, cleaning performance, antimicrobial efficacy, product stability, and material compatibility.
Familiarity with EPA, BPR, and regional regulatory testing and product claim requirements.
Experience with NPD/EPD processes, supplier collaboration, product scale-up, and manufacturing support.
Understanding of sustainable product development, including ingredient selection, packaging, and environmental impact.
Proficiency with PIE or similar Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, including data management and documentation.
Strong project management, technical writing, communication, and cross-functional influencing skills.
Ability to independently lead technical projects, prioritize deliverables, and escalate risks.
Experience designing experiments, analyzing data, troubleshooting technical challenges, and driving product development.

Responsibilities

Lead new product development and existing product development projects from concept through formulation, validation, scale-up, and launch, meeting quality, cost, and timeline objectives.
Drive formulation innovation in cleaning, disinfecting, floor care, and emerging hygiene technologies, developing solutions that address customer needs and sustainability goals.
Contribute technical insights to the five-year surface hygiene roadmap and execute assigned innovation initiatives.
Design and evaluate product performance, microbial efficacy, stability, packaging compatibility, and surface compatibility studies with internal experts and external laboratories.
Partner with Regulatory and Product Safety teams to ensure development and claims comply with applicable requirements, including EPA and EU BPR requirements.
Research and assess emerging technologies, ingredients, suppliers, and sustainable chemistry opportunities through benchmarking and feasibility testing.
Support commercialization and continuous improvement through manufacturing trials, technology transfer, troubleshooting, product maintenance, and technical risk assessment.
Lead assigned iconic brand platform innovation projects, identifying product upgrade, claims, delivery improvement, and multi-generation growth opportunities aligned with the Manager’s platform roadmap.
Monitor competitor products, regulatory developments, and customer trends, and communicate actionable findings to the platform team.
Use the PIE product lifecycle management system for material and finished good record searches, product data traceability, technical documentation, and coordination of required updates with system owners.