Process Engineer, Cosmetic / Personal Care Chemistry (R&D)

Wellington Executive Search; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Wellington Executive Search is seeking an R&D Engineer to join the Synthesis & Compounding team in Philadelphia. You will perform lab-scale synthesis, develop processes, and support TEA/LCA analyses to drive sustainable product development.

You will collaborate across Analytical, Applications, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to transfer processes from lab to pilot scale and support commercial-scale troubleshooting through trials and validations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science & Engineering, or related field.
• 4+ years of work experience or a master’s degree with at least 2 years of work experience.
• Prior experience with chemical synthesis in a commercial manufacturing environment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal teams to identify target molecules and synthesis routes.
• Conduct lab-scale synthesis and document results in notebooks and electronic formats.
• Drive process innovation evaluating novel feedstocks and alternative chemistries.
• Produce lab-scale samples for evaluation by Analytical, QC, and Applications labs.
• Coordinate shipment of samples to internal/external partners and generate invoices.

Skills

Independent work

Team collaboration

Data management

Written reports

Communication skills

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Tools

MS Office

Job description

The R&D Engineer is a member of the Synthesis & Compounding team and works in an interdisciplinary fashion with the Analytical, Applications & Technical Service, Operations, and Supply Chain teams to support development and improvement of our products and manufacturing processes. For new product innovation, the R&D Engineer is responsible for executing lab-scale synthesis of new molecules, developing and optimizing lab-scale processes in conjunction with Operations, driving process innovation projects that explore novel feedstocks, new process concepts, and sustainable technology pathways, and supporting techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis to strengthen the sustainable innovation pipeline. They will also ensure robust technical transfer of new products and processes from the lab to pilot scale and provide lab support to Engineering and Operations functions in the troubleshooting of commercial scale products and processes by conducting laboratory trials and validations of proposed improvements prior to commercial scale implementation.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Partnering with internal colleagues to identify and define appropriate target molecules and synthetic routes for new product.
• Conducting lab-scale synthesis and process development experiments, documenting results in lab notebook and in electronic formats for efficient sharing with peers.
• Driving process innovation projects that evaluate novel feedstocks, alternative chemistries, and emerging process technologies, while supporting techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis to guide sustainable product development and strengthen the long-term innovation pipeline.
• Lab-scale synthesis of new product samples for evaluation by our Analytical, QC, and Applications laboratories and lab-scale production of ingredients for initial customer sampling requirements.
• Arranging for shipment of samples to internal and external business partners and submission of samples to external laboratories, including submission of documentation and generation of invoices.
• Recording of results in internal databases and reporting of testing results to business partners.
• Documentation of lab-scale experimental results in product development and/or process development reports
• Assisting in the preparation of reports for use by Operations as supporting documentation for technical transfer packages
• Reporting of results to peers and management in well-organized presentations
• Maintaining laboratory workspace in clean and safe operating order in compliance with company policies.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to work well both independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to manage workflows, organize data, generate written reports, and communicate results to business partners.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.Advanced experience with MS Office applications (such as Excel and PowerPoint) or specialty scientific/technical applications is preferred.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Education and Experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science & Engineering, or related engineering discipline
• At least 4 years of work experience or a master’s degree with at least 2 years of work experience is required.
• Prior work experience with chemical synthesis in a commercial manufacturing environment is preferred.
• Prior experience with chemical process development and scale-up is preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to safely work “hands-on” in a laboratory environment and with scientific instruments for up to six hours per day. Comfortable standing for long periods of time as needed.
• Located partially in an office and partially in a chemical plant and shipping laboratory environment.
• This position is physically located in Philadelphia and requires in-person presence at least four days per week.
• This position requires approximately 30% travel to plant sites, both domestically and globally.

We offer a generous compensation package including base salary, annual bonus, 401K with company match, generous PTO policy, health, and dental insurance, etc.