Senior Scientist

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Balchem is committed to making the world a healthier place by delivering trusted, innovative, and science-based solutions for the health and nutritional needs of the world. Balchem employs approximately 1,400 employees worldwide who provide the service, quality, and technology that enables our customers to win with their customers. We have built a reputation for delivering results to all of our stakeholders. Founded in 1967, Balchem, a Maryland corporation, became a publicly-traded company in 1970 and is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “BCPC.” Our corporate headquarters is located in Montvale, New Jersey, and we have a broad network of sales offices, manufacturing sites, and R&D centers, primarily located in the U.S. and Europe. The Company consists of three business segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Senior Scientist is a highly capable individual contributor who applies deep scientific and technical expertise to develop new products and technologies and solve complex technical challenges within Balchem’s Minerals & Nutrients business.

The Senior Scientist independently leads significant R&D projects from problem definition and scientific feasibility through product development, scale-up, and commercialization. The role requires strong chemistry fundamentals, experimental rigor, scientific judgment, and the ability to translate laboratory understanding into practical product and process solutions.

The Senior Scientist works across R&D, commercial, and operational functions to advance new products, solve complex challenges involving existing products, and strengthen the scientific and technical capabilities of the Minerals & Nutrients business.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Champions safe laboratory and pilot-scale operations and ensures assigned R&D activities comply with applicable safety, quality, regulatory, and corporate requirements.
• Applies deep scientific expertise and fundamental chemistry to independently investigate and solve complex problems involving products, materials, processes, and technologies.
• Designs, executes, and interprets laboratory and pilot-scale studies using sound scientific principles, experimental design, data analysis, and clear decision criteria.
• Applies fundamental chemistry to understand and optimize chemical reactions, material properties, stability, processing, and product performance across Balchem's Minerals & Nutrients technologies.
• Independently leads significant R&D projects from scientific feasibility through development, scale-up, technical transfer, and commercialization, establishing clear technical objectives, plans, risks, milestones, and recommendations.
• Applies scientific expertise to complex challenges involving existing products, raw materials, manufacturing, quality, or supply where deeper technical understanding is required.
• Partners with Process Technology and other R&D and operational functions to develop robust, scalable, and manufacturable products and processes and resolve significant technical issues.
• Partners with Commercial and Marketing to translate customer needs and market opportunities into technical requirements and development objectives and participates in customer-facing technical discussions as appropriate.
• Communicates technical findings, risks, conclusions, and recommendations clearly and maintains appropriate technical documentation and experimental records.
• Provides technical guidance and mentorship to scientists and technicians and captures and shares technical learning to strengthen team capability and organizational knowledge.
• Reviews relevant scientific, technical, competitive, and patent information and contributes to external technology evaluation, intellectual property, and technical collaborations as appropriate.
• Travels to other R&D locations, manufacturing sites, customers, suppliers, and external technical partners as required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related discipline with at least seven years of relevant industrial R&D experience, or a Ph.D. in a related discipline with at least three years of relevant industrial R&D experience. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated depth in industrial chemistry and the application of fundamental chemical principles to reaction chemistry, synthesis, material properties, stability, process chemistry, or related product and technology development.
• Demonstrated ability to independently apply fundamental scientific principles to understand and solve complex chemistry, material, product, or process problems.
• Hands-on industrial laboratory experience with strong capabilities in experimental design, execution, data analysis, interpretation, and scientific problem solving.
• Demonstrated experience independently leading product or technology development projects from laboratory research and technical feasibility toward pilot or manufacturing scale.
• Ability to manage multiple technical priorities, evaluate technical risk, draw sound conclusions from experimental evidence, and make clear recommendations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate complex technical information effectively to technical, manufacturing, commercial, and business audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across R&D and cross-functional teams and to provide technical guidance and mentorship to others.
• Experience in specialty chemicals, fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, nutritional ingredients, food ingredients, or a related industrial chemistry environment is preferred.
• Experience with reaction chemistry and kinetics, synthesis, catalysis, crystallization, analytical characterization, statistical experimental design, or chemical process development is preferred.
• Experience with scale-up, technology transfer, commercial manufacturing, intellectual property, or customer-facing technical work is preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work is performed in laboratory, pilot-scale, office, and manufacturing environments and requires the safe use of chemicals, laboratory equipment, analytical instrumentation, and pilot-scale systems.
• The role requires hands-on experimental work and may require standing for extended periods and handling laboratory materials and equipment.
• Travel to Balchem R&D locations, manufacturing sites, customers, suppliers, and external technical partners is expected to be approximately 10%.

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