R&D- Senior Chemist (Industrial Wood)

The Senior Chemist provides technical expertise and leadership in support of maintenance of business activities for the Industrial Wood Maintenance of Business team. Reporting to the Technical Manager, this role is responsible for sustaining existing products, resolving customer and manufacturing issues, supporting business continuity, and ensuring reliable product performance. The Senior Chemist partners closely with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Technical Service, Supply Chain, and customers to address technical challenges, execute product modifications, support operational needs, and deliver timely solutions that maintain customer satisfaction and business objectives.

Job duties include contact with other employees and access to 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.

20% Travel

• Lead technical activities that support maintenance of business objectives, including product stewardship, customer issue resolution, manufacturing support, and sustaining existing product lines.
• Investigate and resolve internal and external technical issues through structured problem solving, root cause analysis, and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Coordinate technical activities with Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Procurement, Technical Services, and external customers to support ongoing business requirements.
• Prioritize and respond to urgent customer requests, product performance concerns, manufacturing issues, and supply continuity challenges.
• Support operational excellence by identifying 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 strong technical relationships with customers and serve as a key resource in addressing escalated technical concerns.
• Meet or exceed established turnaround times for customer support activities, investigations, corrective actions, and sustaining projects.
• Maintain safe operating procedures through adherence to company safety requirements and laboratory standards.
• Maintain laboratory inventories, equipment, panels, and supplies necessary to support ongoing business operations.
• Mentor and develop chemists and laboratory personnel through technical guidance, coaching, and knowledge sharing.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement that enhance operational efficiency, product performance, and customer experience.
• Prepare technical reports, investigation summaries, and recommendations to communicate findings and business impacts to stakeholders.
• Adhere to company safety standards at all times.

Minimum Requirements

• 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)
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must have a bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (“STEM”) field
• 5+ years of experience in coating formulation and application.
• Experience resolving technical issues and leading root cause investigations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in Polymers and Coatings
• MS or Ph.D.
• Experience in industrial or OEM coating formulation.
• Experience supporting commercialized products in a manufacturing and customer-facing environment.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Manufacturing, Quality, Sales, Marketing, and Technical Service teams.
• At least 1 year in mentoring or management experience
• Experience on customer application lines (e.g., 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.

Successful candidate will be required to sign an Employee Restrictive Covenant Agreement where permitted by law.