Sr. Associate, Chemistry

SC Johnson•Racine, WI

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Associate, Chemistry will be part of SC Johnson's International Air Care Business Unit, developing products for consumers across markets around the world. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys hands-on formulation and technical problem solving, and works collaboratively across functions, regions, and cultures. The role involves formulating and developing new Air Care products across multiple technologies, including liquids, candles, gels, powders, and aerosols, supporting new product development, product improvements, line extensions, and technology advancements. The position requires applying formulation science, experimental design, and technical curiosity while partnering with regional RD&E teams, Marketing, Manufacturing, Procurement, Regulatory, fragrance houses, suppliers, and other external partners to develop products that meet consumer, performance, cost, regulatory, sustainability, and manufacturing requirements across international markets.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or another related science with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in consumer products or a related industry, or a Master’s degree with at least 3 years of relevant work experience.
Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship for full-time employment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Air Care or other consumer product formulation, including product development processes and formulation or delivery system technologies such as aerosols, emulsions, gels, polymers, reaction products, surfactants, solvents, and other relevant systems.
Understanding of fragrance development and fragrance chemistry, including fragrance interactions with formulations, delivery systems, stability, performance, and consumer experience; experience partnering with fragrance houses is a plus.
Experience applying Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical analysis, and structured experimentation to formulation development, technical problem-solving, scale-up, manufacturing, and product performance challenges.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements, intellectual property principles, and the functional and environmental impacts of formulation ingredients, including experience reviewing patents and supporting development and protection of technical solutions.
Ability to identify and evaluate emerging technologies, ingredients, materials, and external capabilities that may have applications across Air Care products.
Strong cross-functional and global collaboration, relationship-building, and influencing skills, with the ability to work across cultures and regions, adapt solutions to different market needs, and gain alignment without direct authority.
Demonstrated technical curiosity, ability to work independently, adapt to changing priorities, and solve complex technical challenges in a fast-paced global environment.
Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to communicate technical information to different audiences across the organization (Technical Storytelling).
Organization, attention to detail, documentation, and technical recordkeeping skills; proficiency with SAP and standard computer applications preferred, with additional language proficiency considered a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and optimize innovative formulations for new and existing Air Care products across multiple technologies, including liquids, candles, gels, and aerosols, to address consumer needs and improve product performance across international markets.
Develop formulations for international markets, accounting for regional consumer needs, regulatory and sustainability requirements, manufacturing capabilities, raw material availability, cost targets, supply resiliency, and environmental conditions, including varying temperature and humidity.
Apply Design of Experiments (DOE), statistics, laboratory testing, and scientific analysis to evaluate formulation performance and stability, analyze data, draw conclusions, troubleshoot technical challenges, and make technically sound recommendations.
Investigate and evaluate new raw materials, fragrances, formulation approaches, and delivery technologies through laboratory experimentation and partnerships with fragrance houses, suppliers, and other external technical partners.
Identify emerging technologies, secondary sourcing opportunities, and potential intellectual property that support innovation, cost, sustainability, and supply resiliency objectives.
Plan, conduct, and coordinate product testing, including stability, micro challenge, toxicological, clinical, and performance testing. Maintain accurate laboratory records and prepare technical documentation and data to support product performance, claims, and commercialization.
Partner with regional RD&E teams, Manufacturing, Procurement, suppliers, and other cross-functional partners to transfer formulations, troubleshoot technical challenges, support pilot batches and first production runs, and successfully scale formulations from the laboratory through commercialization across multiple markets.
Serve as the formulation representative on cross-functional project teams, proactively communicating technical progress, risks, and recommendations. Translate technical insights into clear, consumer-relevant stories, benefits, and claims that enable Marketing and commercial partners to effectively communicate product differentiation, while identifying opportunities to leverage existing formulations and technologies across markets.