R&D Senior Chemist

The Sr. Chemist will have experience in waterborne latex and a successful record of implementing technical strategies, projects, and hands-on relationship building. Responsibilities include serving as the primary technical contact and responding to highly technical and complex questions from customers, research professionals, quality control, and other internal and external parties regarding existing products lines. The successful candidate will independently plan and support technical research, new polymer development, and commercialization processes. This position will have experience in new polymer development and/or coating formulation in the North American coatings market.

Job duties include contact with other employees and access confidential and proprietary information and/or other items of value, and such access may be supervised or unsupervised. The Company therefore has determined that a review of criminal history is necessary to protect the business and its operations and reputation and is necessary to protect the safety of the Company's staff, employees, and business relationships.

Responsibilities will include independently leading multiple strategic projects for new polymer development with minimal manager direction, and identifying market technology trends and significant, unmet market needs.

• Serves as a technical lead for new polymer technologies for relevant markets
• Leads technology innovation for waterborne acrylic, styrene acrylic, and polyurethane dispersion resins; leads new product development projects; monitors group work and provides direction to the R&D team
• Develops project objectives, timelines, materials, and other project requirements, determines project feasibility
• Develops industry relevant coating formulations based on EPS polymers; evaluates using industry standard test methods; educates customers on use and best practices of EPS technology
• Identifies customer requirements and market needs, ensuring alignment with project goals and new technology development
• Reviews and evaluates project status, outcomes, and direction to ensure conformity with project objectives; determines corrective action and implements changes; has considerable latitude within project objectives
• Serves as a member of project and business teams and assists with developing division or group sales, production, research, and related objectives
• Understands competitive landscape
• Actively participates in industry events which may include publishing in trade journals, speaking at society meetings, and participating in regulatory, method development or other industry relevant committees.
• Collaborate with internal business development partners to identify and assess new market opportunities.
• Oversees and/or serves as a primary technical contact and responds to highly technical and complex questions and concerns from customers, research professionals, quality control, and other internal and external parties regarding EPS products
• Reads and interprets patents and academic literature, examines new product concepts and technologies, and determines how to meet customer needs and market demands
• Applies a thorough understanding of EPS, industry, and competitor technologies, application methods, products, and manufacturing processes regarding the research and development of new polymers; has developed products involving multiple technologies
• Assists with developing appropriate policies and procedures to ensure compliance with research and development principles and practices and applicable laws, rules, and regulations, monitors compliance with these areas
• Responds to questions and concerns from the customer regarding product lines, formulating, and general operations; operates under limited supervision and involves complex situations that require project management to resolve situations.
• Provides technical direction and assistance to customers on the use of product lines and coatings formulations; serves as an expert in a single technology or applies a working knowledge of multiple technologies and may involve multiple sites.
• Serves as a liaison with sales by interacting with customer technical personnel, developing a complete understanding of needs and operations, and providing observations and leads to sales;
• May direct work of lower-level technical staff, which includes prioritizing and determining work direction.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

BASIC QUALIFICATION:
* Must be legally authorized to work in the country for which you are applying for employment (without now or in the future needing sponsorship for employment work visa and/or permanent residence status).

FORMAL EDUCATION:
Required:
* Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering

Preferred:
* Master's or Ph.D.

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:
Required:
* 5 years working in a lab setting
* Administering technology programs
* Applying business administration principles and practices
* Applying project management principles and practices
* Interpreting and applying department policies and procedures and applicable laws, rules, and regulations
* Applying comprehensive application methods and procedures
* Interpreting data and developing reports
* Working with internal and external customers
* Communicating technical information
* Reading and interpreting patents
* Applying commercialization principles and practices
* PC skills; Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook); and other applicable applications
* Communicating with co-workers to provide and receive direction

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:
30%