Are you ready to make a significant impact on a dynamic and growing company? We are seeking a talented Senior Chemist/ R&D Functional team leader who will be based at our Sheffield site and will oversee the development and optimization of robust formulations from lab to production scale and support as required once in the market.
The Senior Chemist/ R&D Functional team leader will be responsible to:
1. Oversee the development and optimization of robust formulations from lab to production scale and support as required once in the market.
2. Development of new products/formulations and reformulation of existing products
3. Lab development, testing & analysis including competitor benchmarking & stability studies
4. Evaluation and approval of alternative or new raw materials including meeting suppliers
5. Progressing of projects through to production scale up & following FMAP process
6. Writing and presenting technical reports to key stakeholders across the business
7. Ensuring regulatory compliance and other key metrics. performance and profit margin
Contribute to the ideation and innovation process and build a pipeline of innovation projects effectively and drive current and future new product development (NPD) projects.
8. Lead use of Navigator to track projects in functional team
9. Use modern methodologies (6 sigma, DOE to ensure robust and efficient development
10. Assist Technical manager with Allocation of projects (NPD/MOB/Exploratory) to team
Provision of support including to other departments - QA, Marketing, Production etc.
11. Customer hosting/visits with the sales & marketing teams to support & develop business
12. Batch corrections, troubleshooting, SW systems use, and trial support
13. Conduct general laboratory/equipment maintenance, housekeeping, ordering etc.
Lead, coach and train junior co-workers (R&D & Product/ Marketing), plan and efficiently coordinate work
14. Co-ordinate all work in functional team to ensure R&D annual targets are met
15. Act as team expert resource for advice and decision-making to ensure all projects are kept on track with project timelines and overall project goals
16. Train and develop team members and identify any training gaps/needs to build IDPs
17. Keep relevant training records, SOPs and all project documentation up to date
18. Ensure the team work in compliance with all rules, SW standards, and applicable legislation
19. Track and evaluate team performance including annual & mid-year appraisals
Other duties appropriate to the position under the direction of the R&D Technical Manager
20. Degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, polymer/materials science or related technical discipline with 7+ years industry experience
21. Proven experience of product development using project plans within a stage-gated process
22. Able to present clear and structured project plans within the above referenced stage-gated process.
23. Strong chemistry and materials science knowledge
24. Able to present complex information clearly to both technical and non-technical people effectively.
25. Good understanding of coatings/Sealants market and formulation best practices.
26. Sounds knowledge of the European Regulatory landscape.
27. Knowledge of industry testing standards (ISO/ EN/ ASTM).
28. Experienced introducing new Products into a manufacturing environment
29. Proven track records of writing and giving posters/ papers at international conferences/ meetings
30. Demonstrates willingness to share knowledge, train and teach other members of the team and wider teams as required.
31. Able to run projects across/impacting multiple departments and sites.
32. Demonstrates good knowledge of local manufacturing site and be able to map processes using Lean Six Sigma tools.
33. A practitioner of Six Sigma (Green Belt), experimental designs and statistical analysis.
34. Project Management using Stage Gated processes
35. Experienced in use of Office IT systems
36. Good communication skills and the ability to lead, educate and motivate teams.
37. Must hold a UK driving license
38. Second Language desirable
Internal Vacancy Announcement
This vacancy is advertised exclusively for internal candidates, with a closing date of Friday 12th December.
Interview dates: Proposed for week commencing 15th December. Successful candidates will be notified in advance, allowing time to prepare.
***Please be aware that you can apply for any internal job offer after minimum one year in current role having previously informed your manager.
Please read the guidelines before handing in your application
All internal employees when applying for a role are required to upload their updated and their last 2 appraisals (which can be retrieved from HR Cloud).