Lead Coatings Scientist Job Job in Chicago, Illinois US
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Lead Coatings Scientist Job
Job Title: Lead Coatings Scientist
Requisition Number: CGC-1583
Interest Category: Research and Development
Hourly/Salary: Salary
City: Chicago
State: Illinois
Country: United States
Shift: Days
Job Description:
Position Summary
The Coating Scientist / Team Lead will be responsible for leading a multi-faceted small team working towards coatings development and formulation specifically applicable towards building products; the ideal candidate will also be an individual contributor to the team with considerable experience in paint formulation application development. Reporting to Technical Manager of Emerging Technology, and interacting with staff chemists, technicians and application engineers, the candidate will design and perform hands on experiments to develop paint and coating systems that are applied in-house as part of the process to create the finished building products
Position Responsibilities
- Lead a small team working towards coating formulation and application development of building products
- Design and perform hands on experiments to develop coating systems to meet specific performance, cost and application goals
- Apply appropriate polymers, organic chemistry and engineering principles to design and execute laboratory and/or scale-up experiments. Perform necessary literature searches and background research to support development goals
- Set up, use and sometimes maintain standard laboratory equipment, reactor systems and test instruments to carry out experiments.
- Identify the most appropriate analytical instruments for use in achieving research goals, and coordinate with outside testing companies to acquire analytical data beyond internal laboratory capability
- Participate in and contribute to problem solving efforts related to both new and existing coating systems
- Document experimental procedures and results in accordance with the organization guidelines.
- Mentor and coach team members in areas of technical training, laboratory skills development and critical thinking.
- Provide technical support to team members, application engineers and production level efforts as required.
- Assist in the documentation of regulatory information related to new formulation and application development.
- Assist in the monitoring and understanding federal and state regulations governing chemical laboratory safety, documentation and environmental compliance.
- Guide formulation and development efforts towards federal and state regulations governing VOCs and other safety compliances.
- Guide the application engineers in the coating process design and implementation
The position responsibilities outlined above are in no way to be construed as all encompassing.
Position Requirements
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:
- Experience in the analysis, formulation and application of thermal cure and alternate cure (UV, EB) coating system and base chemistries, including paint systems such as:
Paint and resin systems development (acrylics, urethane, epoxy and polyester)
Water and Solvent base system development for both formulation and application
Additives for coating system stability, property enhancement and application control
Pigmentation system development: weathering performance, color control, storage stability and appearance control
Coating formulation and property optimization for targeted performance and cost
Coating property and performance testing procedures, equipment and data evaluation
Coating application equipment with ability to optimize coatings for application consistency
- Design of Experiments experience with emphasis on the balance between the ideal situation and real-world application and resource limitations
- Leadership experience
Experience leading a small team towards paint formulation and application development
Strong management skills and experience delivering results on-time. Experience setting team member goals, deliver performance reports and feedback aiming towards running a successful team
- Demonstrated leadership skill needed to succeed in a fast-pace and cross-functional team environment
- Project Management experience
Proven ability and experience anticipating and solving key project challenges, to keep project on track and within budget (such as resource allocation between internal/external analytical tools)
Experience working on defined timelines and ensuring successful outcomes even without perfect information
- Strong communication skills
Strong presentation skills (written /verbal)
Ability to develop and manage internal and external relationships with coworkers, management and customers
- Experience with managing and developing vendors
Knowledge of paint and raw materials suppliers
Understanding of developing supplier relationships while maintaining competitive advantage.
Understanding of confidentiality agreements and proper documentation of confidential information.
Knowledge of coating equipment vendor base helpful
- Self-sufficient, motivated, able to keep a project moving forward independently when needed; but able to balance this with team work and communication.
- Must be able to travel 25% on average
Education/Experience Required
- Masters or PhD in Coatings Polymer Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Material Science, chemical engineering, or similar fields is ESSENTIAL
- 5 - 10 years of the experience in paint formulation development (water/solvent, thermal/alternate cure, different resin and additive systems).
- Minimum of 5 years experience in a supervisory or leadership role, responsible for overseeing day to day operations, performance management, training and development of small teams or technical staff.
- Experience in architectural, marine, auto, and protective coating formulations and applications.
- Experience in the various coating application processes and their suitability for specific formulations
JHMON
