Applied Chemistry Consultant: Hands-On Lab & Impact

PA Consulting; Melbourn; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and lifestyle perks

25 days annual leave

Generous pension

Annual bonus

PA share ownership

Cycle to work

Job summary

PA Consulting seeks an Applied Chemistry Consultant to join its Applied Sciences team. You will apply rigorous chemical knowledge and practical experimentation to solve real‑world challenges across diverse industries, collaborating with chemists, engineers and other specialists.

This hands‑on technical role combines experimental work with analytical thinking, requiring clear communication to technical and non‑technical audiences.

Qualifications

• Hands-on laboratory experimentation.
• Experimental design and practical problem solving.
• Chemical analysis and characterisation.
• Materials or formulation development.
• Surface, interface or materials chemistry.
• Process development, scale-up or manufacturing‑related chemistry.
• Analytical techniques.
• Development of laboratory equipment or emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

• Design, plan and carry out laboratory experiments to investigate chemical systems, materials, products or processes.
• Analyse, interpret and communicate experimental and technical data.
• Apply chemical principles to solve complex, ambiguous or unfamiliar technical problems.
• Support the development, testing and assessment of new technologies, products, materials or processes.
• Contribute to technical due diligence, technology scouting and evidence‑based assessments.
• Identify sources of uncertainty, experimental limitations and technical risk.
• Translate scientific findings into clear, practical recommendations for colleagues and clients.
• Contribute to technical reports, presentations, proposals and client deliverables.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues from other science and engineering disciplines, as well as sector specialist backgrounds.
• Support internal research, innovation and capability development activities.
• Build expertise across multiple chemistry‑related domains and application areas.
• Engage directly with clients to understand technical challenges, shape project approaches and present findings.

Skills

Hands-on lab work

Experimental design

Chemical analysis

Materials development

Surface chemistry

Process development

Data interpretation

Technical communication

Troubleshooting

Team collaboration

Education

Chemistry degree

MSc

PhD

Tools

Laboratory equipment

Analytical instruments

Test rigs

Job description

PA Consulting seeks an Applied Chemistry Consultant to join its Applied Sciences team. You will apply rigorous chemical knowledge and practical experimentation to solve real‑world challenges across diverse industries, collaborating with chemists, engineers and other specialists.

This hands‑on technical role combines experimental work with analytical thinking, requiring clear communication to technical and non‑technical audiences.