Senior Chemist – Specialty Adhesives R&D

DuPont•West Alexandria, OH

46d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Chemist role provides technical leadership for specialty adhesive technologies used in demanding industrial bonding applications. This role connects formulation chemistry, mechanical performance, manufacturing processes, and customer applications to solve complex technical challenges and drive product performance, quality, and business growth.

Requirements

PhD in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field with 3+ years of relevant industry experience. Candidates with a BS or MS in these disciplines and 10+ or 5+ years of relevant industry experience, respectively, will also be considered.
Significant experience in adhesives, polymers, coatings, elastomers, or related materials technologies
Strong foundation in adhesive formulation chemistry and polymer systems
Demonstrated experience with mechanical testing and performance interpretation
Proven ability to solve complex, multidisciplinary technical problems
Experience working directly with manufacturing plants and supporting process troubleshooting
Strong written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience with industrial bonding applications, including elastomer-to-substrate or structural adhesive systems
Hands-on involvement in process design, scale-up, or technology transfer
Familiarity with structured quality systems, root cause analysis, and change management
Experience in customer-facing technical roles or field support environments

Responsibilities

Serve as a subject matter expert in specialty adhesives and solvent-borne polymer-based bonding systems
Provide technical leadership across product development, manufacturing support, and customer applications
Assess technical risks and opportunities related to formulations, raw materials, processing, and performance
Design, execute, and interpret mechanical, environmental, and durability testing to assess adhesive performance
Establish structure–property–process relationships linking lab results to application and field performance
Develop and refine test methods aligned with internal standards and customer requirements
Provide technical support to manufacturing plants, including troubleshooting complex process and quality issues
Partner with operations and engineering teams to improve process robustness and manufacturability
Design or evaluate new manufacturing processes or process changes, supporting scale-up and technology transfer
Lead or support advanced failure analyses for customer issues, performance gaps, or manufacturing deviations
Apply chemical, mechanical, and materials characterization techniques to identify root causes
Define corrective and preventive actions in partnership with Quality and Manufacturing teams
Engage directly with customers to understand application requirements and address advanced technical challenges
Translate customer needs into technical insights that inform product improvements or development priorities
Represent the technical organization in customer meetings, audits, or escalation situations as needed
Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams
Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior scientists or laboratory staff
Document technical findings, best practices, and process learnings to strengthen organizational capability.