Senior Development Chemist — Coatings

Index Recruitment; Waitakere Ranges; On-site; NZD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Index Recruitment is supporting a globally recognised New Zealand coatings company in Auckland in recruiting a Senior Development Chemist. This permanent, full-time role reports to the Product Development Manager and focuses on formulation, testing, troubleshooting and product development across high‑performance coating systems.

You will lead lab experiments, carry out material evaluations, prepare coatings on substrates for lab and field testing, and work with cross‑functional teams to move

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemistry or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in coatings R&D, formulation, testing or product development.
• Hands-on formulation experience with coating systems (marine, epoxy, silicone, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Lead development, optimisation and testing of high-performance coating systems.
• Carry out lab experiments, material evaluations and formulation trials.
• Prepare and evaluate coatings on substrates for lab and field testing.
• Troubleshoot formulation, application, cure, adhesion or stability issues.
• Analyse results and recommend next steps; maintain records.
• Support scale-up, pilot batches and production trials.

Skills

Coatings formulation

R&D experimentation

Laboratory testing

Data interpretation

Documentation

Independent worker

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Index Recruitment – Waitakere, North Island

Our client is a globally recognised New Zealand coatings company with an established reputation for developing high-performance products used in demanding real-world environments. Best known for specialist coating technologies used on propellers, running gear and other immersion-exposed substrates, the business is now broadening its technical capability and product development focus.

With strong commercial momentum and continued investment in R&D, the company is expanding its technical team and seeking a practical, hands‑on Senior Development Chemist to support and help lead formulation, testing, troubleshooting and product development across high-performance coating systems.

This is an excellent opportunity for a chemist with solid industrial laboratory or formulation experience to join a technically ambitious business where your work will contribute directly to product development, performance improvement and commercialisation.

The Role

Reporting to the Product Development Manager, this role will support the development, optimisation and testing of high-performance coating systems and related formulated materials.

This is a hands‑on role suited to someone who enjoys practical laboratory work, structured experimentation, problem‑solving and seeing technical work move from lab trials into real applications.

You will be involved in:

• Leading, developing, optimising and supporting formulation work across coating systems, including marine, protective and related performance coatings
• Carrying out laboratory experiments, including raw material evaluations, formulation trials, application testing and performance assessments
• Preparing, applying and evaluating coatings on relevant substrates for laboratory, field and customer‑focused testing
• Troubleshooting formulation, application, cure, adhesion, appearance, stability or performance issues
• Analysing results, identifying trends and recommending practical next steps
• Maintaining accurate, traceable and well‑organised records of formulations, methods, results and conclusions
• Supporting scale‑up, pilot batches, production trials, field trials and technical documentation
• Working closely with chemists, technologists, field staff, production teams, suppliers and external technical partners

This is a role for someone who wants to build deeper technical capability across coatings, polymers, materials behaviour and real‑world product performance.

About You

You are a practical, motivated chemist with hands‑on experience in an industrial laboratory, formulation or product development environment. You enjoy working in the lab, solving technical problems, interpreting results and contributing to useful, commercially relevant products.

You may come from coatings, adhesives, sealants, polymers, foams, resins, composites, inks, construction chemicals, industrial chemistry or another related formulated‑materials background.

The minimum requirements to be considered for the role:

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemistry, Surface Coating Technology, Industrial Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science or a related discipline
• At least 5 years’ relevant experience in coatings R&D, formulation, testing, technical service or product development in an industrial setting
• Hands‑on experience with coating systems or closely related formulated materials such as silicones, resins, polymers, adhesives, sealants, construction chemicals or similar
• Practical experience carrying out formulation trials, raw material evaluations, mixing, application, testing or performance assessment
• Good understanding of formulation principles, materials behaviour and applied chemistry
• Ability to work independently on defined technical work while knowing when to seek guidance or escal…issues
• Good problem‑solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and recommend sensible next steps
• Strong attention to detail and ability to keep accurate, traceable and reliable experimental records
• Clear communication skills and the ability to work well within a technical team
• Experience with protective, marine, immersion‑exposed, epoxy, silicone or corrosion‑performance coating systems would be highly relevant.

This is a permanent full‑time role based in Auckland, New Zealand. The minimum guaranteed hours are 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday. The salary range for the role is NZD $100,000 – $120,000 per annum.

Our client is open to international candidates, and visa sponsorship is possible.

Why This Role Stands Out

• Hands‑on technical work — formulation, testing, application and performance evaluation
• Broad materials scope — work across coatings and related formulated materials.
• Technical autonomy — contribute ideas and make a real impact while being supported by an experienced team
• Real‑world application — see your work tested in practical environments, not just controlled laboratory conditions
• Technical growth — take ownership of defined workstreams while being supported by an experienced team
• Product development impact — contribute to products that need to be robust, scalable and commercially useful
• Growing technical team — join a business expanding its capability beyond its core niche

If you are a practical chemist with industrial lab or formulation experience and want to develop deeper capability in coatings and high‑performance formulated materials, this is an excellent opportunity to join a respected New Zealand business at an exciting stage of growth.