Chief Chemist - Coatings - Essex with RELOCATION ASSISTANCE! - Ref 2621
* Up to £45,000 per annum
* Company pension scheme
* Funded further education and professional development - formal qualifications, OCCA programmes, specialist technical training
Our Client is an ambitious manufacturer and is striving to be the most innovative coatings company in the world, with a portfolio of decorative, industrial, marine, wood care, wax finishing and sports surfaces, and with a vision of exploring 2‑part system coatings as a future direction.
Responsibilities
* Create and develop new formulations and private label clients, from initial concept through to production‑ready specification
* Manage and maintain the formulation library, ensuring all products are fully documented, version‑controlled and reproducible
* Lead R&D projects across decorative, industrial, wood care, marine, sports surface and wax coatings categories
* Explore the potential development of 2‑part system coatings as a future category
* Evaluate and select raw materials, including understanding preferred grades, specifications and viable substitutions
* Oversee standard testing of finished products and selected raw materials to ensure all formulations perform within prescribed tolerances
* Ensure all products comply with Trading Standards, Health and Safety and labelling regulations
* Maintain and update health and safety data sheets for all raw materials and manufactured products in line with current CLP regulations
* Liaise with regulatory bodies, Trading Standards, the HSE and environmental organisations to ensure legal and ethical compliance
* Work hands‑on in production when required, supporting the manufacturing team and ensuring formulations translate reliably into batch output
* Mentor and develop the paint makers – sharing technical knowledge, supporting problem‑solving on the floor and building capability across the team
* Control Bills of Materials and Works Orders, maintaining accuracy across formulation records
* Provide technical input on product costing to support sales and marketing decisions
* Support the purchasing team on raw material decisions – providing technical input on specifications, grades and supplier selection
Candidate Profile
* HNC in Paint Technology, Chemistry or a related discipline preferred
* Qualified By Experience candidates with a minimum of 8 years’ relevant formulation experience will be considered
* Demonstrable experience formulating water‑based and/or solvent‑based coating systems
* Strong grounding in polymer chemistry, rheology and raw material behaviour
* Working knowledge of CLP regulations, VOC compliance and safety data sheet requirements
* Hands‑on approach – comfortable working in a production environment as well as a lab setting
* Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with a commercial awareness of how formulation decisions affect product performance and margin
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