Research and Development Ink Chemist

HP; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability insurance

Employee assistance program

Flexible spending account

Life insurance

Generous paid time off

Job summary

HP's Ink R&D team in San Diego develops and advances inks and fluids powering inkjet and other printing solutions. The Chemist designs ink formulations, leads cross‑functional projects, and translates lab findings into scalable manufacturing processes.

The role blends formulation science with process development, scale‑up, and technical leadership to meet performance, quality, cost, and supply requirements in a fast-paced environment. Collaboration across disciplines is essential.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or M.S. in Chemistry or related field.
• Experience in formulation development and dispersion technology.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize ink formulations to achieve product performance, quality, regulatory, manufacturability, cost, and supply objectives.
• Lead component development and technical projects from concept through product qualification and introduction
• Cross-functional/global team participation and leadership
• Apply expertise in formulation science, pigment and dye chemistry, polymers, colloidal systems, and surface chemistry to solve complex technical challenges.
• Design and execute experiments, analyze data, and translate findings into actionable technical recommendations.
• Support print system characterization, process development, manufacturing scale‑up, technology transfer, and production readiness activities.
• Lead technical investigations and resolve formulation, process, quality, and manufacturing issues.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, regulatory, and supplier partners to deliver business objectives.
• Communicate technical progress, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders and management.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to project teams and fellow chemists.

Skills

Formulation science

Pigment & dye chemistry

Polymers in solution

Interfacial chemistry

Analytical data interpretation

Leadership & teamwork

Education

Ph.D. or M.S. in Chemistry/ Chemical Eng/ Materials Science/ Polymer Science

Tools

Analytical instruments

Job description

Research and Development Ink Chemist Description - Research and Development Ink Chemist

Why join our team

At HP, we exist to amaze through the technologies we create, the experiences we enable, and the impact we deliver for customers around the world. As an Ink RnD Chemist in HP’s Chemistry Center of Excellence Organization located in sunny San Diego, you will help develop and advance innovative inks and fluids that power industry-leading inkjet and other printing solutions. This role offers the opportunity to work with diverse teams, solve complex technical challenges, and design innovative products from concept through development and transfer to final manufacturing. We welcome candidates who are curious, collaborative, and eager to learn, bringing a passion for science and technology, a growth mindset, and a desire to help shape the future of digital printing.

Job Summary

The R&D Chemist is responsible for the design and formulation of ink, dispersion, and related chemical technologies through a combination of empirical design and modeling methods. This role combines formulation science, process development, scale-up, technical problem solving, and cross-functional leadership to deliver solutions that meet performance, quality, manufacturability, regulatory, cost, and supply requirements. The work will focus on developing components and formulations that expand various ink and printing fluid attributes. It will also involve optimizing the new inks for drop formation and the printing process. Part of the role is to collaborate with the printer component designers to implement system level changes to balance tradeoffs in the various components.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize ink, dispersion, and related formulations to achieve product performance, quality, Regulatory, Manufacturability, cost, and supply objectives.
• Lead component development and technical projects from concept through product qualification and introduction
• Cross-functional/pan global team participation and leadership
• Apply expertise in formulation science, pigment and dye chemistry, polymers, colloidal systems, and surface chemistry to solve complex technical challenges.
• Design and execute experiments, analyze data, and translate findings into actionable technical recommendations.
• Support Print system characterization, process development, manufacturing scale‑up, technology transfer, and production readiness activities.
• Lead technical investigations and resolve formulation, process, quality, and manufacturing issues.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, supply chain, regulatory, and supplier partners to deliver business objectives.
• Communicate technical progress, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders and management.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to project teams and fellow chemists.

Qualifications

Ph.D. or M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, or a related field. Understanding of fundamental chemical mechanisms. Key areas include: Formulation development and dispersion technology Pigment and dye chemistry Polymers in solution, Organic and Inorganic nanoparticle suspensions Interfacial and surface chemistry Proficiency in appropriate analytical instruments and data interpretation Wet chemistry or ink formulation experience Strong written and spoken communication skills Ability to creatively solve problems in a fast-paced product development environment Ability to work and effectively interact (remotely, as needed) with team members from other disciplines, projects, organizations, cultures, and companies Demonstrated leadership, teamwork/interpersonal, communication and technical skills Resourceful, creative, and flexible Desired qualifications Programming skills Familiarity with printing technology and color science Formulation experience is a plus

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Long term/short term disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Life insurance
• Generous time off policies, including; 4-12 weeks fully paid parental leave based on tenure 11 paid holidays Additional flexible paid vacation and sick leave (US benefits overview)

Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO) - HP, Inc.

Equal Employment Opportunity to all employees and prospective employees, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, age, disability, or status as a protected veteran, marital status, familial status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic predisposition or carrier status, uniformed service status, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by applicable national, federal, state, and local law(s). Please be assured that you will not be subject to any adverse treatment if you choose to disclose the information requested. This information is provided voluntarily. The information obtained will be kept in strict confidence. For more information, review HP’s EEO Policy or read about your rights under the law here: "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal"

You want to reshape the way the world works. So do we.

You’re looking for more than just a job; you’re looking to make a difference. That means creating something new. Something that matters. Something that changes how the world works for the better. A career at HP can help you build the tomorrow you want. Let’s grow together.

Privacy, Terms of Use, and Accessibility

Our founders believed that business exists when people work together to ‘accomplish something collectively which they could not accomplish separately.’

We uphold a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination and treat everyone with respect. By maintaining these principles, we empower the HP team to contribute to our collective success and the future of work.

Learn more about HP personal data practices at Privacy Statement, Personal Data Rights Notice (where applicable), Accessibility at HP, and Terms. You can be yourself at HP. Learn more

Job - Engineering Schedule - Full time Shift - No shift premium (United States of America) Travel - Not Specified Relocation - Yes

The pay range for this role is $114,600 to $170,000 USD annually with additional opportunities for pay in the form of bonus and/or equity (applies to United States of America candidates only). Pay varies by work location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.