Research and Development Chemist

Role details

About Us

Sheboygan Paint is a Privately Owned, General Industrial Paint Manufacturer with national paint distribution capabilities and a diverse, compliant product portfolio. Established in 1921, Sheboygan Paint Company is ranked 20th among U.S. paint companies​ and excels at manufacturing innovative coating solutions. We are implicitly trusted and rewarded for adding premium value to each targeted customer’s industrial coatings process and aim to be the most recognized family-owned industrial paint company in America.

Job Purpose

We are looking for a dedicated, analytically minded, and detail-oriented Chemist to carry out formulation of paint products, conduct performance paint evaluations and offset raw material selections, sample preparations as needed to support quality activities, and participate in commercialization and technology transfer process activities to ensure secure launches.

The Chemist will conduct research and explore how products, processes, and equipment may be improved, and should be dedicated to improving processes and products while furthering scientific knowledge to drive profitability.

The Chemist role requires in-depth knowledge of paint testing, including the methods used, equipment, and systems. The job will involve both a day–to-day processing of workflows through the quality control laboratory.  Job flexibility will be developed to ensure appropriate support to other roles at any time in the laboratory and will be expected to help with other work outside the Department in a technical liaison role, when required.  The Chemist will work closely with team members on paint formulation and testing, as well as analytical and continuous improvement projects on a day-to-day basis.

The Chemist must have enthusiasm for the task in hand and a willingness to work under pressure to meet deadlines and drive quality metrics, while working safely and responsibly, always. They will wear and use correct personal protective equipment where and when laid down by the company and will follow company health and safety and environmental procedures and reporting guidelines. The job holder will also be required to train on any computer software as designated by the company.

Primary Duties and Deliverables, with guidance from R&D Leadership

Product Development and Modification

o Develop new and innovative direct-to-metal industrial coatings products

o Modify existing technologies to suit customer needs

o When required due to regulation change or opportunity, reformulate existing paint products and associated manufacturing processes.

o Execute benchmarking studies of products. Interprets and clearly communicates results

o Perform testing from standard procedures.

o Prepare test formulations, conducting tests and advising and coordinating test procedures.

o Enter or modify formulas into the formula database, as needed

Communication

o Record and organize projects in an electronic format

o Write technical papers and reports, and prepare standards and specifications for processes, tests, and products, as requested

o Summarize complex datasets, project management notes, and process information into concise and easy to visually digest formats

Safety and Maintenance

o Clean, maintain, and store testing tools and equipment

o Create thorough reports on tests and your findings

o Evaluate testing protocols and suggest improvements

o Clean and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment, making sure that all the technology is working correctly; if it isn’t, troubleshoot the issue or problem. Conduct quality control tests to ensure no compounds or equipment are contaminated

o Maintain a clean and safe work environment at all times

o Assure that the lab and handling of all chemicals is done consistently with company safety requirements

o Follow all company and governmental safety procedures

Additional Responsibilities, as requested

o Interact cross-functionally with other departments and sites to support or modify existing products to drive efficiency, profitability, and quality, including, but not limited to:

o Work in the laboratory and assist in the direction of the activities of one or more technicians.

o Consult with R&D, Operations Personnel, and Technical Support Service on the analysis and interpretation of defects and optimization of tests and processes

o Assist quality control during production

o Assist in following batches in production and the field

o Assist in solving manufacturing/scale-up issues to support quality operations.

o Assist in capturing customer specifications, concerns, and compatibility

o Assist in evaluating and ensuring laboratory safety procedures and standards compliance

o Use or interpret advanced analytic techniques such as chromatography, spectroscopy, and spectrophotometry techniques, as requested

Core Competencies

Active Listening

: Listening accurately and confirming the concern or goal state is essential to solving the correct problem:

o Be comfortable leading as an active listener

o Ask questions to confirm you understood the concern, goal state, current state, and timeline and align on a plan

o Demonstrate active listening by recording accurate situation appraisal notes, with clearly annotated follow-up plans.

o Willingness to accept constructive criticism and demonstrate an ability to reflect and recalibrate an approach.

Good communication

: Communicating with others effectively and promptly is crucial. Ability to communicate respectfully and concisely via diverse modes:

o Verbally in person and virtually

o Written by note-taking, email, report and specification writing, Teams instant messaging, and PowerPoint

o Visually through graphs, flow charts

o Technically through spreadsheets and other analytical tools

Collaboration and Continuous Learning

: Collaboration is key in a quality-facing role. Inspire confidence and trust by being dependable and honest, having high standards for quality and punctuality of work. Have an intrinsic and enthusiastic drive to support team goals, with a positive attitude and passion for innovation, continuous learning, and application of new skills and concepts. Be open to learning new chemistries, analysis techniques, software, and project management disciplines.

Critical thinking and problem-solving

: Identifying problems, root causes, and possible solutions is a focus of this role. Before choosing a solution, objectively evaluate each option and present the most effective solution for review. Logical approach to judgement and decision making based on original thinking, direct experience, and high-quality, independently verifiable evidence.

Time management

: This team has many different accountabilities. There are many different types of projects, many deadlines, so being able to manage and record time well to punctually meet those deadlines and summarize time by project is a key skill.

Analytical

: This team is highly data-driven. At times we will work with very compact data sets and use math to extrapolate new, larger solutions quickly. At other times, we will use analytics to look through large datasets and interpolate opportunities; thus, having a flexible and analytical mind is essential to our success.

Organizational skills

: This role is very process- and results-oriented. We are also called to answer complex problems quickly. Keeping track of input and output data and documenting all processes and observations and being able to retrieve this work swiftly calls for strong organizational skills.

Perseverance and Endurance

: Finding a new solution, optimizing a process, or aligning a group of people to a common solution can take a lot of effort, time, repeated experimentation, and determination. All of these are key skills for a Chemist to possess.

Scientific and numerical skills

: A Chemist must be good at mathematics and order of operations to correctly apply formulas in experiments and document them correctly.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a B.S. Degree in physical science (chemistry, chemical engineering, coatings, or closely related field) and at least 1 year of formulating experience in industry.

• Ability to work in an industrial laboratory setting.

• Candidates must be English proficient and possess a valid driver’s license.

• Candidates with permanent authorization to work in the United States are preferred.

• Must pass a background check and drug test

• Lift up to 50 lbs. several times per day.

• Possess the ability to follow standard operating procedures.

• Possess safety habits & awareness required as a condition of employment.

• Follow prescribed policies & procedures.

• Proficiency with computers and scientific equipment.

• Accurately record and communicate research results to others both orally and in writing, via diverse formats.

• Able to summarize results using Microsoft Office Core suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MS Teams, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. Degree in physical science (chemistry, chemical engineering, coatings or closely related field) and 5 years of formulating experience in industry.

• Knowledge of paint formulation, application, catalysis, cure, and general property testing is required

• Knowledge of Enamels, Epoxy, and Polyurethane-based paints, Waterborne and Solventborne, as applicable.

• Knowledge of colorimetry, color science, rheology, and polymer chemistry

• Previous experience in a Quality Improvement-focused team, strongly preferred

• Preference towards collaborating on group projects rather than individual projects, strongly preferred

• Green Belt in Lean or Design for Six Sigma, with proficiency in DOE and process mapping, strongly preferred.

• Experience with statistical modeling software such as JMP, Minitab, Matlab, or other statistical software.

• Working knowledge of Stage Gate Process & Practice

• Experience with Microsoft Office-related data, process, and project management tools: (Power Automate, Power BI, Power Query, MS Forms, MS Project, Modern/Classical SharePoint)

Primary Work Location

• Sheboygan, WI