Polymer Scientist – R&D & Scale-Up (On-Site)

Synthomer plc; Harlow; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary global bonus scheme

Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)

Company car or car allowance

Healthcare

Learning & development opportunities

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Synthomer plc is seeking an Advanced Chemist - Polymers to join its R&D team in Harlow. The role focuses on developing new polymer products, advancing technologies and delivering scalable solutions for global markets.

You will lead hands-on experimentation, design and interpret programmes, and collaborate across manufacturing, regulatory and commercial teams to drive new product launches and process improvements.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Polymer Science or a related discipline, or a Degree with a minimum of 2 years' relevant industrial experience.
• Strong understanding of polymer chemistry and how material composition influences product performance and application properties.
• Experience in product development, formulation, process development or manufacturing scale-up within a chemical, materials or related environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex datasets and turn findings into actionable recommendations.
• Knowledge of intellectual property principles, patents and regulatory considerations within product development environments.
• Experience contributing to safety improvements, writing SOPs and preparing risk assessments for new activities.
• A collaborative and proactive approach, with the confidence to engage stakeholders across R&D, operations, commercial and regulatory functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical workstreams within R&D projects, delivering innovative polymer products, formulations and applications.
• Design, conduct and interpret experimental programmes, applying strong scientific rigour to generate meaningful conclusions and recommendations.
• Develop technical expertise within your specialist area while identifying opportunities to bring ideas and insights from adjacent technologies.
• Plan, organise and oversee laboratory, pilot plant and manufacturing trials to support product development, technology transfer and scale-up.
• Support the successful launch of new products, providing troubleshooting and technical support during initial production runs.
• Work closely with manufacturing, commercial, regulatory and technical teams to deliver business objectives.
• Analyse trends, identify root causes of technical challenges and develop practical, cost-effective solutions.
• Provide technical support to commercial and operational teams, helping translate scientific capability into business value.
• Contribute to competitor benchmarking, technology monitoring and innovation initiatives.
• Support technology transfers to external manufacturing partners where required.

Skills

Polymer chemistry

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Project management

Regulatory awareness

IP knowledge

Education

PhD in Chemistry/Polymer Science

Degree with 2+ years industrial experience

Job description

Synthomer plc is seeking an Advanced Chemist - Polymers to join its R&D team in Harlow. The role focuses on developing new polymer products, advancing technologies and delivering scalable solutions for global markets.

You will lead hands-on experimentation, design and interpret programmes, and collaborate across manufacturing, regulatory and commercial teams to drive new product launches and process improvements.