Senior Technical Associate - Vespel® R&D

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DuPont Advanced Mobility is seeking a Senior Technical Associate to join the Vespel® R&D team at our Experimental Station site in Wilmington, DE. This role offers a hands-on opportunity to contribute to polymer research and development in a collaborative, safety-focused laboratory environment.

Role Overview

The Senior Technical Associate will work as part of an interdisciplinary R&D team, supporting pilot-scale polymerization and laboratory research under the guidance of a Technical Principal Investigator. This position requires strong laboratory skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work both collaboratively and independently. The role involves organic chemistry, polymer processing, materials characterization, and mechanical testing using a wide range of laboratory and pilot-scale equipment.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently conduct organic reactions at both laboratory and pilot scales, including system setup, monitoring, product workup, analysis, characterization, and thorough documentation using an electronic laboratory notebook (ELN)

• Manufacture polymer parts from resins through mixing, milling, pressing, and sintering; monitor processes and perform post-processing analysis and documentation

• Interpret experimental findings, diagnose unexpected results, and develop recommendations for next steps

• Characterize polymer structure and performance using analytical techniques such as NMR and IR spectroscopy

• Learn and operate polymer and materials characterization equipment including DSC, TGA, DMA, TMA, impact, and tensile testing instruments

• Maintain accurate and complete experimental records; prepare reports and present findings at team meetings

• Troubleshoot, calibrate, and maintain laboratory and pilot-scale equipment; author and maintain instrument manuals and SOPs

• Adhere to all DuPont safety policies and best practices, including support of Process Safety Management (PSM) requirements and maintenance of required safety documentation.

• Order laboratory supplies and maintain inventories of chemicals, resins, and experimental samples.

• Coordinate external laboratory testing, including proper packaging and shipment of samples in compliance with DOT regulations.

• Perform physical tasks including handling flammable liquids and powders (drum quantities) and limited lifting of laboratory equipment (e.g., reactors, glassware).

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

• Prior experience with pilot-scale polymerization and handling drum quantities of flammable materials is highly preferred

• Familiarity with polymer characterization techniques and instrumentation is preferred

• Strong organizational skills with excellent attention to detail

• Ability to learn and apply a wide variety of testing methods and laboratory instruments

• Effective communication skills with the ability to prioritize, organize, and plan work independently

• Demonstrated teamwork and strong interpersonal skills

• Proficiency with Windows-based computer systems

• Experience with mechanical testing equipment is a plus

Additional Information

This position requires access to export-controlled technology, technical data or defense services, as such, employment will be contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access export-controlled technology, technical data or defense services as authorized pursuant to US regulation or an export authorization obtained by DuPont approved by the controlling US government agency

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