Pilot Plant Chemist — Scale-Up & Innovation

Ingevity; North Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Ingevity in North Charleston, SC is seeking a Plant Chemist, Pilot Plant to own the chemical pilot plant and drive scale-up from R&D to production. You will collaborate with R&D, Operations, and Engineering to advance development projects and deliver innovative process solutions.

The role requires hands-on experience in pilot plant operations, strong problem-solving skills, and a commitment to safety, reliability, and data-driven decision making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Chemistry or related technical field.
• Strong mechanical aptitude to diagnose equipment issues.
• Experience with pilot plant operations or chemical processing preferred.
• Ability to manage projects and technical assignments.
• Experience with FTIR, moisture analysis, and titration preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and strong documentation habits.
• Physically capable of lifting up to 50 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Support the scale-up of new products and processes in Charleston Pilot Plant.
• Own and operate the pilot plant, producing materials for evaluations.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute pilot plant trials with cross-functional teams.
• Monitor pilot plant performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement improvements for safety and efficiency.
• Identify equipment needs and support maintenance/upgrades.
• Develop understanding of process scale-up bridging lab to full-scale manufacturing.
• Collect, analyze, and communicate process data to support decisions.
• Collaborate with R&D, Operations and Engineering as a key technical resource.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Process troubleshooting

Analytical instrumentation

Documentation

Communication skills

Project management

Team collaboration

MS Office

Safety awareness

Physical ability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry

Tools

FTIR

Moisture analysis

Auto titration

Laboratory instrumentation

Job description

Ingevity in North Charleston, SC is seeking a Plant Chemist, Pilot Plant to own the chemical pilot plant and drive scale-up from R&D to production. You will collaborate with R&D, Operations, and Engineering to advance development projects and deliver innovative process solutions.

The role requires hands-on experience in pilot plant operations, strong problem-solving skills, and a commitment to safety, reliability, and data-driven decision making.