R&D Chemist

IPG•Marysville, MI

18h

About The Position

The R&D Chemist is responsible for developing customer-focused new products that meet unmet customer needs, differentiate product performance, and remain competitively priced. The role works with Marketing and Product Management to identify and document opportunities, contribute to business cases, and define product requirements using approaches such as QFD, VOC, or New Product Blueprinting. The Chemist develops product designs using laboratory and pilot facilities and partners with Operations to establish commercially viable processes. The role ensures products meet intended end-use needs and provides commercialization information to Production, QC, Scheduling, Purchasing, Product Management, and Marketing. It also supports products in the field by working with Technical Service and Sales, visiting customer facilities, and helping identify product deficiencies. This position manages development projects, including timelines and resources, assigns and reviews team members’ experimental work, and produces clear interpretive reports and memos for executive audiences. The Chemist also supports Safety and 5S housekeeping programs and travels approximately 25% to IPG plants, IPG headquarters, and customer and supplier locations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or higher in a Science or Engineering discipline.
2–4 years of experience in Research & Development.
Proven project leader with a high success rate.
Innovative, organized self-starter with good problem-solving skills.
Collaborative interpersonal style and experience leading project teams.
Proficiency in the MS Office suite and working knowledge of Smartsheet or other project planning software.
Knowledge of DOE principles and statistical analysis software.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to write reports for executive-level distribution.
Comfort presenting results and project updates to team members, executives, and customers.
Demonstrated customer focus and commitment to Company values.
Ability to manage time without consistent day-to-day interaction with a supervisor.
Ability to travel approximately 25% to IPG plants, IPG headquarters, and customer and supplier locations.

Responsibilities

Identify customer needs that are not being met and design product solutions that address those needs while differentiating performance at a competitive cost.
Work with Marketing and Product Management to identify, explore, and document new product opportunities and contribute to the related business case.
Use QFD, VOC, or New Product Blueprinting to determine product performance factors, physical properties, appearance, and intangible qualities.
Develop innovative product designs using laboratory and pilot facilities.
Work with Operations to translate product designs into commercially viable processes.
Ensure products meet the end-use application needs of intended customers.
Provide commercialization information to Production, QC, Scheduling, Purchasing, Product Management, and Marketing when projects are complete.
Follow new products into the field, work with Technical Service and Sales to gain customer acceptance, and help identify product deficiencies.
Travel to customer facilities to support new product development and product improvement efforts.
Manage new product development projects and maintain tracking tools, such as Smartsheet or Gantt charts, to monitor timelines and required resources.
Assign, oversee, and review experimental work performed by team members.
Write clear interpretive reports and memos with executive summaries, assign unique document numbers, and maintain reports in electronic and hard-copy libraries.
Support Safety programs, initiatives, and 5S housekeeping programs.