Senior Chemist - Specialty Adhesives R&D

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Position Summary

The Senior Chemist role provides technical leadership for specialty adhesive technologies used in demanding industrial bonding applications. This role connects formulation chemistry, mechanical performance, manufacturing processes, and customer applications to solve complex technical challenges and drive product performance, quality, and business growth.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Product Expertise

• Serve as a subject matter expert in specialty adhesives and solvent-borne polymer-based bonding systems

• Provide technical leadership across product development, manufacturing support, and customer applications

• Assess technical risks and opportunities related to formulations, raw materials, processing, and performance

Mechanical Testing & Performance Evaluation

• Design, execute, and interpret mechanical, environmental, and durability testing to assess adhesive performance

• Establish structure-property-process relationships linking lab results to application and field performance

• Develop and refine test methods aligned with internal standards and customer requirements

Manufacturing & Process Support

• Provide technical support to manufacturing plants, including troubleshooting complex process and quality issues

• Partner with operations and engineering teams to improve process robustness and manufacturability

• Design or evaluate new manufacturing processes or process changes, supporting scale-up and technology transfer

Quality, Failure Analysis & Problem Resolution

• Lead or support advanced failure analyses for customer issues, performance gaps, or manufacturing deviations

• Apply chemical, mechanical, and materials characterization techniques to identify root causes

• Define corrective and preventive actions in partnership with Quality and Manufacturing teams

Customer-Facing Technical Support

• Engage directly with customers to understand application requirements and address advanced technical challenges

• Translate customer needs into technical insights that inform product improvements or development priorities

• Represent the technical organization in customer meetings, audits, or escalation situations as needed

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

• Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Quality, Operations, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams

• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior scientists or laboratory staff

• Document technical findings, best practices, and process learnings to strengthen organizational capability.

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field with 3+ years of relevant industry experience. Candidates with a BS or MS in these disciplines and 10+ or 5+ years of relevant industry experience, respectively, will also be considered.

• Significant experience in adhesives, polymers, coatings, elastomers, or related materials technologies

• Strong foundation in adhesive formulation chemistry and polymer systems

• Demonstrated experience with mechanical testing and performance interpretation

• Proven ability to solve complex, multidisciplinary technical problems

• Experience working directly with manufacturing plants and supporting process troubleshooting

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with industrial bonding applications, including elastomer-to-substrate or structural adhesive systems

• Hands-on involvement in process design, scale-up, or technology transfer

• Familiarity with structured quality systems, root cause analysis, and change management

• Experience in customer-facing technical roles or field support environments

Working Conditions & Travel

• Combination of laboratory, manufacturing site, and office-based work

• Periodic travel to manufacturing locations and customer sites as required

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