R&D- Senior Chemist (Industrial Wood)
About The Position
The Senior Chemist provides technical expertise and leadership in support of the Industrial Wood Maintenance of Business team. Reporting to the Technical Manager, the role sustains existing products, resolves customer and manufacturing issues, supports business continuity, and ensures reliable product performance. The Senior Chemist collaborates with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Technical Service, Supply Chain, Procurement, and customers to address technical challenges, execute product modifications, support operations, and deliver timely solutions that maintain customer satisfaction and business objectives. The position includes 20% travel. Duties involve contact with other employees and access to confidential or proprietary information and other valuable items. A criminal-history review is required to protect the business, its operations and reputation, and the safety of staff, employees, and business relationships. Successful candidates must sign an Employee Restrictive Covenant Agreement where permitted by law.
Requirements
- Must be legally authorized to work in the country of application without now or future sponsorship for an employment visa or permanent residence status.
- Must be at least 18 years of age.
- Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) field.
- At least 5 years of experience in coating formulation and application.
- Experience resolving technical issues and leading root cause investigations.
Nice To Haves
- Degree in Polymers and Coatings.
- Master’s or Ph.D.
- Experience in industrial or OEM coating formulation.
- Experience supporting commercialized products in manufacturing and customer-facing environments.
- Experience working cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Sales, Marketing, and Technical Service teams.
- At least 1 year of mentoring or management experience.
- Experience on customer application lines, such as curtain coaters, vacuum coaters, roll coaters, and other OEM application equipment.
- Familiarity with statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), DFSS, Lean Six Sigma, Kepner-Tregoe, or other problem-solving methodologies.
- Internship, co-op, or research experience supporting manufacturing or product development activities.
Responsibilities
- Lead technical activities supporting business objectives, including product stewardship, customer issue resolution, manufacturing support, and sustaining existing product lines.
- Investigate and resolve internal and external technical issues using structured problem solving, root cause analysis, and corrective and preventive actions.
- Coordinate technical activities with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Procurement, Technical Services, and external customers.
- Prioritize and respond to urgent customer requests, product performance concerns, manufacturing issues, and supply continuity challenges.
- Identify risks to product quality, customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and business continuity.
- Recommend and execute product modifications and process improvements that improve performance, manufacturability, reliability, and customer satisfaction while minimizing business disruption.
- Support manufacturing plants and customers through troubleshooting, process optimization, training, and technical consultation.
- Maintain technical relationships with customers and address escalated technical concerns.
- Meet or exceed turnaround times for customer support, investigations, corrective actions, and sustaining projects.
- Follow company safety requirements and laboratory standards to maintain safe operating procedures.
- Maintain laboratory inventories, equipment, panels, and supplies needed for business operations.
- Mentor and develop chemists and laboratory personnel through technical guidance, coaching, and knowledge sharing.
- Identify continuous-improvement opportunities that enhance operational efficiency, product performance, and customer experience.
- Prepare technical reports, investigation summaries, and recommendations communicating findings and business impacts to stakeholders.
- Adhere to company safety standards.
Benefits
- The company describes a broad benefits offering that may include retirement, health care, well-being, and commute-related benefits; candidates are directed to the benefits website for details.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
