Advanced R&D Chemist

PolyOne; Liverpool City Region; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in materials solutions seeks an experienced Advanced R&D Chemist/Engineer to join their research and development team. The successful candidate will spearhead innovative projects focusing on sustainable, polymer-enhancing solutions. This role involves conducting in-depth research, driving product development, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to meet strategic goals. Candidates should possess a MSc/PhD in relevant fields and experience in industrial research.

Qualifications

• At least three years of industrial or academic research experience.
• Strong skills in scientific methods and experimental design.
• Knowledge of polymer characterization/analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead product and technology development in new markets.
• Drive innovation to enhance the intellectual property portfolio.
• Communicate with stakeholders across various functions.

Skills

Project management

Teamwork

Communication

Statistical analysis

Data-driven research

Education

MSc./PhD in Chemistry, Polymer Science/Engineering or Material Science

Tools

Statistical software (StatEase, Minitab, SigmaPro)

Microsoft Office

Job description

Our purpose at Avient Corporation is to be an innovator of materials solutions that help our customers succeed, while enabling a sustainable world. Innovation goes far beyond materials science; it's powered by the passion, creativity, and diverse expertise of 9,000 professionals worldwide. Whether you're a finance wizard, a tech enthusiast, an operational powerhouse, an HR changemaker, or a trailblazer in materials development, you'll find your place at Avient. Join our global team and help shape the future with sustainable solutions that transform possibilities into realities. Your unique perspective could be the key to our next breakthrough!

Job Summary:

We are seeking an experienced Advanced R&D Chemist/Engineer to join of Avient's research and development team. The Advanced R&D Chemist/Engineer will be responsible for the research and development of sustainable, polymer-enhancing solutions that create value for our customers.

Essential Functions:

• Conduct work in a safe, ethical and collaborative manner
• Lead the development of products and technologies within existing and new markets
• Drive innovation that enriches Avient's intellectual property portfolio
• Use statistical methods to drive experimentation and data interpretation
• Apply technical project management skills to support platform development
• Communicate and engage with internal and external stakeholders
• Work with other functions such as marketing, sourcing, regulatory and commercial colleagues to drive forward projects
• Other duties as and when required.

Education and Experience:

Essential:
• MSc./PhD. in either Chemistry, Polymer Science/Engineering, Material Science
• At least three years of industrial or academic research experience in the fields of either chemistry, petrochemicals, plastics, coatings, adhesives, rubber, polymer formulation, composites or polymer processing
• Experience of working in a laboratory/material processing environment
• Knowledge & experience of polymer characterization/analysis
• Strong team working and communication skills
• Strong competencies in use of Microsoft Office
• Strong skills in the scientific method and use of design of experiments for data-driven research
• Experience of designing and conducting experiments

Desirable:
• At least five years of industrial experience in the fields of chemistry, petrochemicals, plastics, coatings, adhesives, rubber, polymer formulation, composites or polymer processing
• Project management experience gained in either academic or industry
• Knowledge & experience of analytical characterization techniques for rheological, mechanical and thermal properties of polymers
• Prior experience in a technical role within a corporate innovation/R&D environment
• Knowledge of the chemistry underpinning polymer structure modification and reactivity
• Working knowledge of polymer processes including compounding with twin-screw extruders, injection molding, and extrusion-blow-molding
• Experience in executing DOEs, and knowledge of relevant statistical software (StatEase, Minitab, SigmaPro or similar).

Essential Competencies:

• The candidate will be required to present data and concepts to internal and external stakeholders regularly. Therefore, they must possess excellent presentation and communication skills, and be comfortable with public speaking.
• The candidate must demonstrate excellent project management and organizational skills required to develop detailed project timelines with key milestones and deliverables
• The candidate must be collaborative and work effectively across cross-functional teams to drive projects from lab-to-commercial scale.
• The ideal candidate is an independent thinker and self-motivated to address technical challenges.

We believe that all of our global employees are leaders and that the six most important behaviors for driving our strategy and culture are the same no matter if an employee is a leader of self, a leader of others, or a leader of the business. By playing to win, acting customer centric, driving innovation and profitable growth, collaborating seamlessly across Avient, and motivating and inspiring and developing others and yourself you will accelerate your ability to achieve Avient's strategic goals, to meet our customer needs, and to accomplish your career goals.

At Avient, we believe a wide variety of thoughts, ideas and backgrounds gives us the creativity to be successful in a rapidly changing world. In support of this, we stress equality of opportunity for all qualified individuals in accordance with applicable laws. Decisions on hiring, promotion, development, compensation or advancement are based solely on a person's qualifications, abilities, experience and performance. Avient is an equal opportunity employer. We maintain a policy of non-discrimination in providing equal employment to all qualified employees and candidates regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran's status, or other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal, state and local law. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to complete an online application, please contact the Avient HR Team by emailing, [e-mail].