Senior Functional Chemist

Job Description

The Sr. Functional Chemist – Consumer Products will be responsible for conducting product development research efforts and short-term projects in support of the business and key customer initiatives. Primary responsibilities for the role will include creating surfactant-based formulations and generating experimental data to confirm performance of the proposed system in the intended application. The role will also be responsible for conducting experimentation and generating related technical content to enable sales/marketing efforts to promote existing and new products. In addition, they will be required to conduct testing to support troubleshooting of customer challenges and internal quality and supply chain issues.  
The role requires interfacing with multiple departments as part of cross-functional projects, particularly leading the formulation development and application testing work lanes to assess product performance and/or demonstrate product benefits. This role also requires interacting with and providing technical support to internal/external customers, as well as coordinating experimental work with multiple R&D teams.   

Key Responsibilities: 
•Develop experimental plans for short-term projects.  
•Obtain and review analytical and physical-chemical characterization data to guide solution identification. •Generate and evaluate representative formulations to replicate customer’s scenario. 
•Evaluate formulations’ performance following established SOPs and analyze results to drive sound conclusions.  
•Develop expertise in surfactant chemistry, functionality and behavior in the context of personal and home care applications.  
•Actively participate in cross-functional teams and conduct experiments to help advance innovation and other long-term projects. 
•Conduct proof-of-concept studies to aid basic exploration of new product ideas. 
•Adopt and implement rapid screening techniques and other testing methodologies as they become available, and support method development initiatives.   
•Generate electronic lab notebook entries and technical reports to properly document procedures, findings and observations. 
•Participate in safety/waste programs and follow safety policies/standards. 
•Lead laboratory activities as needed to support the group, including training and implementation of new practices/programs.  

Qualifications

• >7 years of relevant industry experience.
• Minimum 5 years of full-time laboratory experience in an industrial setting.  
• Hands-on experience with various lab techniques and equipment.
• Ability to troubleshoot issues with lab experimentation and safely handle various chemicals and reagents.
• Basic understanding of surfactant functions in typical personal care and/or home care formulations. 
• Demonstrated formulation skills to independently develop surfactant-based products for internal evaluation.  
• Proficiency in application testing and method development work to assess consumer products performance.
• Ability to independently plan and carry out experimentation in the lab as needed to troubleshoot customer issues or to demonstrate new product benefits in the intended application.
• Skill in data analysis and reporting. Ability to independently document experimental findings and recommendations in electronic laboratory notebook and technical reports.  
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to communicate progress effectively based on experimental findings.
• Ability to collaborate with other team members effectively and proactively contribute ideas in projects.
• Strong technical foundation to easily absorb teachings from subject matter experts.  

Education

• B.Sc. degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related field is required.

Pay Range: $75,000 - $98,000

The salary range for this position is determined by considering a variety of factors such as skills, experience, qualifications, and the location of the position.

At Stepan Company our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Discretionary Bonus
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401K with Match
• Profit Sharing
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability (STD / LTD)
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Adoption Assistance
• Reactions – Recognition Program
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

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