Senior PD Chemist

Job Summary

The Senior Product Development Chemist is an autonomous technical contributor responsible for product-level formulation decisions within Ultimate Linings’ Research & Development function. This role leads formulation strategy and chemistry decisions for assigned product families, balancing product performance, manufacturability, quality, cost, and technical risk. The Sr Chemist serves as a subject matter expert for specific chemistry and provides advanced technical support for product development, field performance, manufacturing investigations, raw material evaluations, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role acts as a technical authority across R&D and Operations while maintaining rigorous documentation, compliance, and quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

Product Formulation Authority

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• Lead formulation strategy and chemistry decisions for assigned product families or development platforms.
• Make technical product decisions that balance performance, manufacturability, quality expectations, cost, and risk.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for specific chemistries, coating systems, raw material classes, or product technologies.
• Define formulation direction, evaluate technical options, and recommend product-level changes based on data, testing, and business needs.
• Ensure formulation decisions are aligned with performance requirements, application expectations, regulatory considerations, and manufacturing capabilities.

• Advanced Technical Problem Solving

• Support complex investigations related to product performance, field issues, manufacturing concerns, or application variability.
• Evaluate new raw materials, chemistry approaches, formulation pathways, and performance improvement opportunities.
• Analyze technical data, identify root causes or risk factors, and recommend corrective or preventive actions.
• Influence long-term technical direction within R&D by identifying opportunities for product improvement, innovation, and process stability.
• Translate complex formulation or performance findings into practical guidance for laboratory, production, quality, and technical teams.

• Technical Leadership & Knowledge Sharing

• Provide technical guidance to Chemists, Technologists, and cross-functional team members on formulation, testing, and performance-related matters.
• Support continuous improvement of laboratory methods, testing protocols, documentation practices, and technical decision-making processes.
• Maintain rigorous documentation and compliance standards for formulation work, technical evaluations, investigations, and product decisions.
• Share technical knowledge through project reviews, internal discussions, training support, and mentoring within the R&D environment.
• Promote technical accountability, sound scientific judgment, and consistent application of R&D standards across assigned work.

Qualifications

Education

Minimum Required:

• BS degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related technical field.

Preferred:

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related technical field.

Experience

Minimum Required:

• At least 5 years of related work experience in coatings, polymers, or product development environments.

Preferred:

• 7+ years related work experience in coatings, polymers, or product development environments.

Job Specific Skills

Minimum Required:

• Thorough understanding of chemical tests and processes.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software to draft laboratory reports.
• Proficient with or the ability to quickly learn software and applications used for chemical tests and analysis.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred:

• Excellent management and leadership skills
• Strong technical documentation, reporting, and compliance discipline in support of ISO and internal quality standards.

Working Conditions

The following working conditions are present or expected on a regular basis:

• Normal laboratory R&D and applications development environment
• Normal office environment
• Travel may be required.
• Manual dexterity is required to use desktop computers and peripherals.
• Ability to wear a respirator required occasionally.
• Ability to handle full 5-gallon pails & drums of raw materials.