Associate TS&D Scientist

DOW CHEMICAL PACIFIC (SINGAPORE) PRIVATE LIMITED; Singapore; On-site; SGD 77,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading chemical manufacturing company is looking for an Associate Technical Service & Development Scientist based in Singapore. The role focuses on driving technical service for elastomers in Southeast Asia, requiring collaboration with sales and marketing teams. Candidates should have an MSc or PhD in Polymer Sciences and a minimum of 5 years' experience in the rubber industry, alongside strong communication and analytical skills. This position involves regional travel and strategic thinking to support business growth.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in the rubber industry.
• Strong technical service or application development background.
• Ability to work effectively in an English-speaking environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical service and development activities for ICT applications.
• Maintain communication with Sales and Marketing teams.
• Partner with Sales to support business growth at customer sites.
• Conduct root-cause analysis for quality issues.
• Identify and convert new application opportunities.

Skills

Logical reasoning

Collaboration

Technical leadership

Customer orientation

Project management

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Communication

Self-motivation

Adaptability

Education

MSc or PhD in Polymer Physics, Polymer Modification, Materials Science

Job description

Dow's Packaging & Specialty Plastics (P&SP) business is seeking an Associate Technical Service & Development Scientist, based in Singapore. This role supports the growth of Dow’s Elastomers business, especially EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) and HPC across Southeast Asia. Key application areas include Transportation (automotive: under the hood, weatherstrip), Infrastructure (photovoltaic), and Consumer (footwear), with additional focus on developing new, high-potential applications. The position requires close collaboration with Sales, Marketing, and Product Management to drive customer and application growth, leveraging technical expertise to win in a fragmented and highly competitive market.

Key Responsibilities

• Regional focus: Lead technical service and development activities for ICT (Infrastructure, Consumer, Transportation) applications across Southeast Asian countries and regions.
• Internal coordination: Maintain strong communication and alignment with Commercial (Sales, Marketing) and, when necessary, Product Management to ensure project priorities and opportunity pipelines are well managed.
• External customer engagement: Partner with Sales to support business growth at customer sites, retain existing share, and develop new customers or applications through trials, troubleshooting, and technical validation.
• Market dynamics: Navigate a fragmented customer base and diverse applications, with particular emphasis on growth in photovoltaics, footwear, and automotive rubber.
• Customer support discipline: Demonstrate excellent documentation practices (call reports, trial plans, protocols, and summaries) and maintain awareness of application IP to protect know-how and support compliant development.
• Technology alignment: Communicate proactively and closely with Application Technology Leader (ATL) and Product Technology Leader (PTL) to align on technical roadmaps and resolve issues quickly.
• Project delivery: Plan and execute customer trials, lead root-cause analysis for quality and performance issues, and drive cost reduction while meeting qualification criteria.
• Opportunity development: Identify and assess new application opportunities, convert qualified leads into projects, and manage stage gates through product qualification and commercialization.
• Compliance & safety: Model safe practices and adhere to company policies, quality standards, and regulatory requirements in all activities.
• Business reporting: Track and communicate progress using CRM/project tools, providing clear updates to stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Education: MSc or PhD in Polymer Physics, Polymer Modification, Materials Science, or related fields.
• Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience in the rubber industry, with strong technical service or application development background.
• Communication: Ability to work effectively in English-speaking environment (spoken and written) with clear, structured communication skills.
• Mobility: Willing to travel up to 50% within Southeast Asia.

Your Skills

• Thinking & judgment: Excellent logical reasoning and independent judgment; able to make well-reasoned, calculated risk decisions in dynamic environments.
• Team mindset: Highly collaborative with strong teamwork orientation; able to challenge constructively and avoid groupthink.
• Technical Leadership: Guide technical direction for projects and influence outcomes through expertise and sound decision-making.
• Customer Orientation: Translate customer needs into tailored solutions that deliver measurable value and sustain/expand share.
• Teamwork & Cross-functional Collaboration: Work seamlessly with Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Supply Chain, Production, and QA/QC to achieve business goals.
• Project Management: Plan, prioritize, and execute development projects; manage timelines, risks, and stage gates to commercialization.
• Analytical Skills: Design and analyze experiments (e.g., DOE, regression) to optimize formulations and processes; make data-driven recommendations.
• Problem Solving: Lead troubleshooting across formulation, scale-up, and production; apply root-cause analysis to resolve technical challenges efficiently.
• Communication & Presentation: Distill complex technical topics into clear, audience-appropriate messages for customers and internal stakeholders.
• Self-Motivation & Ownership: Proactively drive projects and opportunity pipelines with minimal supervision; sustain momentum to deliver results.
• Continuous Learning: Stay current on materials science, processing technologies, market trends, and competitive landscape relevant to elastomers/HPC.
• Adaptability: Adjust quickly to changing scopes, customer priorities, and market dynamics; pivot resources to the highest value opportunities.

Additional Notes

The position supports Southeast Asia with close collaboration across regional commercial and technology teams.