Research Chemist

• [Company] is a leading manufacturer of glass beads for industrial and specialty applications, serving the highway safety, polymer additive, metal finishing, and conductive particle markets.  The Conductives group manufactures silver-plated powder which is used in a variety of electronic applications, including EMI shielding materials, solar panels, and mobile phones.
• The Research Chemist will take a hands-on approach in developing processes for manufacturing conductive powder materials. In addition to developing electroless plating processes, it is necessary to test the finished products in conductive polymer composites, qualify raw materials, perform competitive analysis, troubleshoot manufacturing issues, and interact with suppliers and customers.

Job Duties:

• Plan and conduct research activities relating to the development of electroless plating of silver and other metals onto particulate materials.
• Support scale-up and commercialization of new products.
• Analyze and identify problems with existing products and originate formulation or process changes.
• Test products by making conductive polymer composites and performing various reliability tests.
• Support manufacturing operations with new products and help troubleshoot manufacturing issues.
• Interact with suppliers to develop specifications for raw materials and work with toll processers to customize raw material properties.
• Support customers by recommending products, performing application tests, and performing competitive analysis.
• Support Sales and Marketing department by providing technical substance to literature and application guides.
• Maintain safe working environment and partake in regularly scheduled safety training.

Job Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry or chemistry-related field.
• Five (5) years of hands-on development experience in plating processes, preferably plating of particulate materials.
• Solid understanding of electroless plating of precious metals.
• Familiarity with processing of powder materials: sizing, milling, safety.
• Previous experience in the commercialization of new products and processes.
• Demonstrated ability to utilize scientific/statistical methods for problem-solving.
• Ability to work with a minimum of supervision; a self-starter.
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills; ability to function effectively as a part of research and development team.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Capable of lifting up to 50 pounds and working in an industrial manufacturing environment as needed.