R&D Manager

FUCHS Group • Harvey, IL

2d • $165,000 - $175,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

FUCHS offers a challenging and rewarding working environment where employees are encouraged to develop and grow as professionals. In this role, you will have the opportunity to work on projects that will expand your experience and challenge your abilities in the global marketplace. The position also offers an excellent compensation package and a comprehensive suite of benefits. Detailed benefit information can be found at this link: https://fuchs.com/us/en/benefits.
FUCHS Lubricants Co. is an equal employment opportunity (EEO)/AA employer and strongly supports diversity in the workplace (m/f/d/v).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or a related field required
• 6 years of related experience
• Any amount of experience formulating water-based and non-water-based lubricants, including polysiloxane emulsions, for die casting and metalworking applications
• Any amount of experience formulating and product development of rolling oils, alkaline cleaners and passivation chemistry for steel mill
• Any amount of experience developing raw material substitution strategies to maintain lubricant product performance, reduce costs, and create sustainability-focused formulations
• Any amount of experience managing R&D laboratory operations, allocating projects, mentoring staff, and implementing ISO/5S quality and safety management systems
• Any amount of experience conducting customer-site product trials, troubleshooting application issues, and benchmarking performance of lubricants in real-world industrial environments
• Any amount of experience scaling up lubricant laboratory formulations to production level, establishing quality control protocols, and troubleshooting manufacturing processes in plant operations
• Any amount of experience creating and validating advanced lubricant testing protocols using SEM, FTIR, GC, TGA, OES, DSC, and tribology instruments for product optimization
• Any amount of experience developing and testing new aluminum alloys, analyzing mechanical, chemical, and application demands for industrial performance requirements

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary R&D team working on industrial metal processing lubricants, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment
• Collaborate with the Fuchs global technical community and within their team to discover innovative technologies, new formula bases, raw materials and processing techniques that lead to unique products
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including marketing, sales, and manufacturing to ensure successful product development and commercialization
• Drive the formulation and development of new metal processing lubricants, focusing on performance, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact
• Oversee the optimization of existing lubricant formulations to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet evolving industry standards
• Supervise experimental research, product testing, and validation in laboratory and real-world conditions.

Benefits

• FUCHS offers a challenging and rewarding working environment where employees are encouraged to develop and grow as professionals.
• In this role, you will have the opportunity to work on projects that will expand your experience and challenge your abilities in the global marketplace.
• The position also offers an excellent compensation package and a comprehensive suite of benefits.
• Detailed benefit information can be found at this link: https://fuchs.com/us/en/benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager