Sr. Ink Chemist

Overview

Location: Onsite, with office located in Wheeling, WV

Job Type: Direct Hire

Work Authorization: US Citizen or Green Card holder

The A.C.Coy Company is assisting a client with their search for a Sr. Ink Chemist role. This individual will be responsible for leading complex ink development programs from concept to commercialization and serving as the primary technical authority during product scale-up, technology transfers, and advanced manufacturing troubleshooting initiatives.

Our ideal candidate will have 10+ years of progressive, hands-on industrial R&D experience specializing in inkjet ink formulation with a strong track record of successfully launching commercialized inkjet products.

Our client is offering an excellent salary and benefits package, as well as a seat at the table in shaping the company’s growth and sales strategies.

Responsibilities

• Direct the strategic formulation and development lifecycle of next-generation inkjet, functional, and security ink platforms while auditing existing formulations for continuous optimization.
• Architect, oversee, and execute complex ink development programs from concept to commercialization using advanced statistical and scientific methodologies.
• Synthesize deep technical expertise in pigment/dye chemistry, functional materials, and high-speed printhead dynamics to design products that exceed rigorous performance, reliability, and regulatory standards.
• Establish system-level compatibility matrices to validate ink-to-hardware interaction across diverse printhead architectures, specialized substrates, and demanding end-use application environments.
• Lead root-cause investigations to resolve systemic, multi-variable formulation, application, and product-performance challenges.
• Drive technology scouting to identify, evaluate, and integrate disruptive raw materials and emerging technologies into the long-term product roadmap.
• Define rigorous raw-material specifications and manage strategic technical partnerships with global suppliers regarding material synthesis, quality control, and specialized requirements.
• Partner with cross-functional executives in Quality Assurance, Engineering, and Operations to champion seamless phase-gate transitions from laboratory synthesis to high-volume manufacturing.
• Serve as the primary technical authority during product scale-up, technology transfers, and advanced manufacturing troubleshooting initiatives.
• Design novel testing methodologies and analytical frameworks to decode complex experimental data, establishing predictive models to guide formulation vectors.
• Oversee the generation of critical IP and comprehensive technical documentation, including patent disclosures, project whitepapers, regulatory filings, and manufacturing specifications.
• Govern the formal release of new product lines and formulation revisions in absolute compliance with ISO-audited procedures and enterprise resource planning (ERP) frameworks.
• Act as the principal subject-matter expert (SME) for specialty ink chemistry and digital printing technologies across the global organization.
• Mentor, coach, and develop the technical capabilities of junior and mid-level R&D chemists, cultivating a culture of rigorous scientific excellence.
• Monitor the competitive landscape and macro-industry trends to maintain the organization's technological edge in digital imaging and functional fluids.
• Manage the R&D project portfolio, optimizing resource allocation and capital expenditure to align with corporate milestones and commercial timelines.
• Enforce laboratory safety cultures, ensuring infrastructure compliance with international standards, ISO requirements, and corporate environmental, health, and safety (EHS) policies.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor or Master’s Degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related physical science discipline.

Experience

• Minimum of 8 years (Master’s) or 10+ years (Bachelor's) of progressive, hands-on industrial R&D experience specializing in inkjet ink formulation, functional fluids, or complex fluid mechanics, and ink/printhead interaction.
• Demonstrated track record of successfully launching commercialized inkjet products from laboratory scale through pilot production to high-volume manufacturing.
• Proven experience leading complex, multi-variable technical projects and managing cross-functional timelines.
• Experience mentoring, training, or supervising junior chemists, laboratory technicians, or engineering peers.

Technical Skills & Expertise

• Deep, fundamental understanding of surfactant chemistry, rheology modifiers, dispersion stabilization mechanics, resin/binder crosslinking chemistry, and color science (pigments and dyes).
• Comprehensive knowledge of inkjet printhead architectures (e.g., piezo, thermal) and the drop-on-demand (DoD) or continuous inkjet (CIJ) jetting mechanics required to optimize waveform compatibility.
• Strong familiarity with surface energy, adhesion promoters, and chemical interactions across diverse substrates (e.g., films, plastics, papers, metals), alongside expertise in UV/UV-LED radiation curing, EB curing, or thermal drying mechanisms.
• Expert proficiency in interpreting complex data from advanced characterization tools such as rotational rheometers, dynamic surface tensiometers, particle size analyzers (DLS), drop-watchers, and analytical spectroscopy.
• Direct experience generating invention disclosures, analyzing patent landscapes.

Core Competencies & Soft Skills

• Strong root-cause analysis skills utilizing structured frameworks (e.g., DOE, FMEA) to systematically untangle compound formulation or jetting failures.
• Confident technical communication skills to negotiate specifications and collaborate effectively with global raw-material suppliers and contract manufacturing partners.
• Ability to distill highly technical data into concise business impacts for cross-functional executives, commercial stakeholders, and customers.