R&D Team Leader - Paint

The Sherwin-Williams Company; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global coatings manufacturer is seeking a talented Senior Chemist / R&D Functional team leader at their Sheffield site. The successful candidate will oversee the development and optimization of formulations, contribute to new product innovations, and ensure compliance with regulations. Candidates should possess a degree in chemical engineering, with at least 7 years of industry experience, and a strong knowledge of the coatings market. This role includes leading and training junior staff, making it ideal for strategic leaders in development.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of industry experience required.
• Proven experience in product development with project plans.
• Strong knowledge of coatings and sealants best practices.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the development and optimization of formulations.
• Lead the ideation and innovation process for new products.
• Train and develop junior R&D team members.

Skills

Product development

Strong chemistry knowledge

Project management

Communication skills

Lean Six Sigma tools

Education

Degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, or related field

Tools

Office IT systems

Job description

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 :

• Oversee the development and optimization of robust formulations from lab to production scale and support as required once in the market.
• Development of new products / formulations and reformulation of existing products
• Lab development, testing & analysis including competitor benchmarking & stability studies
• Evaluation and approval of alternative or new raw materials including meeting suppliers
• Progressing of projects through to production scale up & following FMAP process
• Writing and presenting technical reports to key stakeholders across the business
• 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.

• Lead use of Navigator to track projects in functional team
• Use modern methodologies (6 sigma, DOE to ensure robust and efficient development
• Assist Technical manager with Allocation of projects (NPD / MOB / Exploratory) to team

Provision of support including to other departments - QA, Marketing, Production etc.

• Customer hosting / visits with the sales & marketing teams to support & develop business
• Batch corrections, troubleshooting, SW systems use, and trial support
• Conduct general laboratory / equipment maintenance, housekeeping, ordering etc.

Lead, coach and train junior co-workers (R&D & Product / Marketing), plan and efficiently coordinate work

• Co-ordinate all work in functional team to ensure R&D annual targets are met
• 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
• Train and develop team members and identify any training gaps / needs to build IDPs
• Keep relevant training records, SOPs and all project documentation up to date
• Ensure the team work in compliance with all rules, SW standards, and applicable legislation
• 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

• Degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, polymer / materials science or related technical discipline with 7+ years industry experience
• Proven experience of product development using project plans within a stage-gated process
• Able to present clear and structured project plans within the above referenced stage-gated process.
• Strong chemistry and materials science knowledge
• Able to present complex information clearly to both technical and non-technical people effectively.
• Good understanding of coatings / Sealants market and formulation best practices.
• Sounds knowledge of the European Regulatory landscape.
• Knowledge of industry testing standards (ISO / EN / ASTM).
• Experienced introducing new Products into a manufacturing environment
• Proven track records of writing and giving posters / papers at international conferences / meetings
• Demonstrates willingness to share knowledge, train and teach other members of the team and wider teams as required.
• Able to run projects across / impacting multiple departments and sites.
• Demonstratesgood knowledge of local manufacturing site and be able to map processes using Lean Six Sigma tools.
• A practitioner of Six Sigma (Green Belt), experimental designs and statistical analysis.
• Project Management using Stage Gated processes
• Experienced in use of Office IT systems
• Good communication skills and the ability to lead, educate and motivate teams.
• Must hold a UK driving license
• 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).