R&d Scientist

Actalent; Pleasant Prairie (WI); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Dental & vision insurance

401k match

Paid vacations

Paid holidays

Job summary

Actalent is seeking an experienced R&D Scientist to advance waterborne paints and coatings for consumer markets. The role emphasizes scale-up from lab to manufacturing, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership of chemists and junior staff.

You will drive sustainable formulations, optimize performance, and support marketing with technical insight, ensuring products meet real-world application needs and retail requirements.

Qualifications

• Experience formulating waterborne paints and coatings.
• Ability to guide projects from concept to commercialization.
• Strong collaboration with engineering and manufacturing functions.
• Mentor and lead chemists and junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Formulate waterborne paints and coatings for consumer applications.
• Develop new waterborne coating formulations from scratch, optimizing performance and sustainability.
• Manage formulation projects from conception through lab work to commercialization.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and other functions to transition formulations into production.
• Act as a technical lead for chemists and junior team members.
• Drive project management and execution with timelines and documentation.
• Support marketing and commercial teams with technical insights.

Skills

Waterborne coatings

Formulation science

Project management

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

• Formulate waterborne paints and coatings for consumer applications, including architectural and light industrial products such as roofing and direct-to-metal coatings.
• Develop new waterborne coating formulations from scratch, optimizing performance, sustainability, and usability for DIY and consumer markets.
• Manage formulation projects from conception through lab work to commercialization, ensuring smooth scale-up from the laboratory to manufacturing.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and other functions to transition formulations into production and resolve technical challenges during scale-up.
• Act as a technical lead for chemists and junior team members, providing guidance, tutoring, and mentoring on formulation processes and project execution.
• Ensure products are designed, formulated, and marketed for real-world consumer use, with attention to application methods such as brush and other common tools.
• Drive project management and execution, maintaining timelines, documentation, and quality standards from initial idea through market launch.
• Contribute to sustainability-focused initiatives within coatings and paints development, aligning formulations with environmental and performance objectives.
• Support marketing and commercial teams by providing technical insights and helping bring products to market that can be seen on retail shelves.
• Demonstrate a proactive, problem-solving mindset and competitive drive to continuously improve formulations, processes, and project outcomes.

Job Title: R&D Scientist

Responsibilities

• Formulate waterborne paints and coatings for consumer applications, including architectural and light industrial products such as roofing and direct-to-metal coatings.
• Develop new waterborne coating formulations from scratch, optimizing performance, sustainability, and usability for DIY and consumer markets.
• Manage formulation projects from conception through lab work to commercialization, ensuring smooth scale-up from the laboratory to manufacturing.
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and other functions to transition formulations into production and resolve technical challenges during scale-up.
• Act as a technical lead for chemists and junior team members, providing guidance, tutoring, and mentoring on formulation processes and project execution.
• Ensure products are designed, formulated, and marketed for real-world consumer use, with attention to application methods such as brush and other common tools.
• Drive project management and execution, maintaining timelines, documentation, and quality standards from initial idea through market launch.
• Contribute to sustainability-focused initiatives within coatings and paints development, aligning formulations with environmental and performance objectives.
• Support marketing and commercial teams by providing technical insights and helping bring products to market that can be seen on retail shelves.
• Demonstrate a proactive, problem-solving mindset and competitive drive to continuously improve formulations, processes, and project outcomes.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Pleasant Prairie, WI.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $130000.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

This company offers a comprehensive benefits package that offers healthcare insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, 401k match, paid vacations, paid holidays, and an assortment of other benefits.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Pleasant Prairie, WI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 13, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Pleasant Prairie,WI.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.