Americas

Scientist, Advanced

Job Location: Americas

Job Category: Technology

Job Schedule: Full Time

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The New Technology & Innovation team is searching for an Advanced Scientist to join the Global R&D organization at our Advanced Materials Collaboration Center in Blue Ash, OH.  Informed by critical market needs and/or emerging trends, you will be developing prototypes of waterborne product concepts by understanding structure/property fundamentals and translating them to product functionality.  Your ability to clearly define the problem to be solved along with your insightful and effective experimentation will yield prototypes which provide a “reason to believe” for novel functional benefits in applications which support the major growth platforms of Michelman’s Coatings, Paper & Packaging, and Industrial Manufacturing businesses. Using your excellent problem-solving skills and creativity, you will quickly screen new technologies and/or materials as possible solutions. Effective collaboration with other stakeholder groups including business-centric technology, marketing, and manufacturing teams to translate those concepts into successful product platforms will be among your critical success factors – as will your ability to live Michelman’s Values & Behaviors.

Company Overview         

Motivated by unwavering values, and ingrained with a passion for innovation, Michelman is a global developer and manufacturer of specialized sustainable chemistry used in industrial and agricultural coatings, digital printing, consumer packaging, and advanced composites for automotive and aerospace. From helping grow food and keep it fresh, to making vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient, to shielding our homes from the elements, Michelman‘s environmentally conscious solutions protect and enhance the materials that shape our world.

Michelman is proud of the values-focused work environment that we have crafted. We pride ourselves on our values of integrity, respect, success, collaboration, curiosity, and giving. With our dedication to your technical and professional growth, in addition to our rigorous onboarding experience, we guarantee that you will find yourself challenged in new ways. 

Primary Responsibilities

• Collaborate with other teams/groups at Michelman to develop problem statements based both on trends in the market and on latent customer needs

• Design new (and sometimes complex) product development experiments to be conducted at the lab scale – either by you or by others

• Build a working knowledge of coatings application methods and performance tests which will enable the development of new concepts

• Collaborate in the development of new application-centric solutions to be enabled by technologies available to Michelman (internally or externally) to support collaboration and learning with business-centric technology teams

• Develop new product prototypes by iteratively preparing lab scale batches for evaluation and testing them against market-relevant success criteria/controls

• Document thoroughly and accurately all experiments, analyses, and testing results

• Ensure timely delivery of project-related information/results to company partners

• Plan, initiate, and execute projects using the Michelman project management process

• Provide reports (written and verbal) on technical results/conclusions to business and technology leadership

• Build an effective collaboration with the global technical team to foster a culture of idea exchange and knowledge transfer

• Lead internal discussions to ensure that colleagues remain up-to-date on relevant product/application issues

• Maintain a clean and safe work environment

• Perform related duties as assigned or as the situation dictates

Critical Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent analytical and observation skills

• Practical experience developing waterborne products, additives, and/or formulations for paper, flexible packaging, nonwoven, and/or industrial/architectural coating applications

• Demonstrated track record of innovation, technology scouting, and/or process/product prototyping is highly desirable

• Basic understanding of a wide range of coating application and testing methodologies

• Experience with stage-gate project management and the types of documentation required by that process

• Agility/flexibility to adapt to changing project priorities and to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously

• Ability to develop new laboratory methods as needed to address technical challenges and train others (as needed) in their effective use

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal)

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer/Materials Science, or related field and at least five (5) years relevant experience. (Ph.D. preferred)

• Practical experience developing waterborne materials and/or formulated products required with experience in biobased materials as waterborne functional coatings considered a plus.

Other

• Able to travel by car or plane to visit customers when needed

• Role may on occasion require long periods of standing and/or an extended work schedule

• Role may require heavy lifting from time to time (as much as 50 lbs. to waist level)

• Role will demand appropriate use of PPE - including safety shoes

Note: The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to the job. They are not construed to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

About Michelman

Michelman is proud of the values-focused work environment that we have crafted. We pride ourselves in our focus on our values of integrity, respect, and success. With our dedication to your technical and professional growth in addition to our rigorous onboarding experience, we guarantee that you will find yourself challenged in new ways. We offer an excellent salary, incentive, and benefits package in a dynamic, empowered team environment.

For more information about Michelman, please visit https://www.michelman.com/.

It is Michelman, Inc. policy to seek and employ qualified persons in all jobs in a manner which will ensure equal employment opportunity as well as administer personnel actions in a manner as to not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation or disability. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Michelman is an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Females/Disabled/Veterans

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