Senior Chemist – Paints & Coatings, Applications Lead

Clariant; Mount Holly (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Paid Holidays

PTO with carry-over

Tuition Reimbursement

Wellness Program

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Job summary

Clariant is seeking a Senior Chemist to join our Industrial Applications team in Mt. Holly, NC, focusing on paints and coatings.

You will lead development projects, run lab experiments, and translate customer needs into scalable solutions, partnering with Sales, Marketing, and global R&D to drive commercialization. The role requires 5+ years in paints/coatings, strong formulation and testing knowledge, and on-site work with up to 30% travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemistry or a related scientific field.
• Minimum of five years of relevant experience in the paints and coatings industry, preferably in application development, performance testing, or customer-facing technical service; seven to ten years preferred.
• Strong knowledge of coatings chemistry, formulation principles, application methods, performance testing, and characterization techniques. Experience with waterborne, architectural, or industrial coatings and functional additives such as surfactants, wetting agents, dispersants, or emulsifiers preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage technical development projects, troubleshoot customer challenges, and communicate technical recommendations.
• Strong collaboration and presentation skills required; experience supporting commercialization, working with international R&D teams, or mentoring junior technical personnel preferred.
• Ability to work on-site in Mt. Holly, North Carolina, in a hands-on laboratory environment and travel up to 30%, including customer visits and occasional international travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead application development projects focused on paints and coatings, translating customer requirements and market needs into technical solutions and new product opportunities.
• Design and execute laboratory experiments to evaluate coating performance, optimize formulations, and demonstrate the benefits of Clariant’s specialty additives.
• Benchmark Clariant products against competitive alternatives and generate technical data to support product differentiation and recommendations.
• Serve as a key technical contact for customers and commercial teams, independently investigating formulation and application challenges and recommending solutions.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing on customer visits, technical demonstrations, product evaluations, and customer trials to support new business development.
• Collaborate with global R&D teams to develop, evaluate, and adapt products for the Americas market and support commercialization.
• Independently manage technical projects from initial customer requirements through laboratory development, validation, and commercialization support.
• Coordinate laboratory testing with technicians and other team members, and provide technical guidance and mentoring to less experienced laboratory personnel.
• Present technical findings to customers and internal stakeholders, and contribute to product positioning, technical literature, customer presentations, and industry events.
• Monitor coatings technologies, regulatory trends, and emerging customer needs, and improve laboratory methods, application testing capabilities, and technical workflows.

Skills

Coatings chemistry

Formulation principles

Application methods

Performance testing

Characterization techniques

Presentation skills

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Chemistry

Job description

Clariant is seeking a Senior Chemist to join our Industrial Applications team in Mt. Holly, NC, focusing on paints and coatings.

You will lead development projects, run lab experiments, and translate customer needs into scalable solutions, partnering with Sales, Marketing, and global R&D to drive commercialization. The role requires 5+ years in paints/coatings, strong formulation and testing knowledge, and on-site work with up to 30% travel.