Senior Product Specialist - Structural

Hexion Inc.; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Hexion Inc. seeks an experienced Senior Product Specialist to support structural adhesives for CLT, Glulam, OSB, Plywood, and LVL. Base location is our new lab in Dublin, OH, with limited supervision, mentoring of junior staff, and frequent collaboration with R&D and commercial teams.

You will formulate PF/MF/UF resins, run testing, and resolve complex formulation issues while maintaining safety and quality standards. Travel up to 30% to customer sites and mills is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field (required).
• 5+ years in resin chemistry, product development, or technical service in wood products or chemical manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of PF, MF, UF resin chemistry, formulation, and testing.
• Experience supporting structural adhesive applications (CLT, Glulam, OSB, Plywood, LVL).
• Willingness to travel up to 30% to mill and customer sites.

Responsibilities

• Formulate, synthesize, and characterize PF, MF, and UF resin systems to meet application requirements and cost targets.
• Conduct application testing and analytical characterization (e.g., GPC, DSC, viscosity, gel time, solids).
• Support product development and optimization of structural adhesives (CLT, Glulam, OSB, Plywood, LVL).
• Evaluate formulation or process adjustments to meet structural performance standards.
• Partner with R&D to translate performance requirements into scalable resin formulations.
• Support compliance with industry codes and standards for structural wood adhesives.
• Serve as a senior technical contact for commercial customers and lead or support trials and field visits.

Skills

Resin chemistry

Technical service

Customer relationships

Project management

Travel coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering

Master's degree

Tools

SAP

Job description

Company Overview

Hexion is entering a bold new chapter, and we’re looking for talented scientists, engineers, and innovators to be part of it. With our newly announced expansion of the research and development headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, we’re creating high-impact roles that will shape the future of sustainable materials, advanced chemistry, and AI-driven manufacturing. (Learn more about our expansion here: Hexion Selects Columbus Region for Global R&D Center )

At Hexion, you won’t just work on products—you’ll build real-world solutions that power industries and make a global impact. Hexion is a place where curiosity is rewarded, innovation is constant, and the possibilities are endless. Anything is possible when you imagine everything.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and technically strong Senior Product Specialist to support structural adhesives used in Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), Glulam, OSB, Plywood, and LVL applications. This role provides deep technical expertise in phenol-formaldehyde (PF), melamine-formaldehyde (MF), and urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin chemistry, supports mill-level manufacturing processes, and serves as a key technical resource for commercial customers. The role will be based in our new lab in Dublin, OH. The Senior Product Specialist works with limited supervision, leads efforts to resolve complex formulation and process issues, and mentors less experienced technical staff.

Resin Chemistry & Formulation

• Formulate, synthesize, and characterize PF, MF, and UF resin systems to meet application requirements, customer priorities, and cost targets.
• Conduct application testing and analytical characterization (e.g., GPC, DSC, viscosity, gel time, solids) to validate formulation performance.

Structural Application Support

• Support product development and optimization of structural adhesives used in Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), Glulam, OSB, Plywood, and LVL applications.
• Evaluate and recommend formulation or process adjustments to meet structural performance standards (e.g., bond strength, moisture resistance, panel testing).
• Partner with R&D to translate structural performance requirements into scalable resin formulations.
• Support the ability to meet relevant industry codes and standards applicable to structural wood product adhesives.

Customer Interactions & Technical Service

• Serve as a senior technical point of contact for commercial customers, building strong working relationships through regular communication and technical meetings.
• Lead or support customer trials, field visits, and technical service engagements to ensure product performance meets customer expectations.
• Review and approve customer recipes, balancing quality standards with customer needs.
• Gather and translate customer feedback into actionable input for product development and continuous improvement.

Safety, Documentation & Compliance

• Ensure EH&S goals and targets are met and contribute to a strong safety culture.
• Maintain a clean and orderly work area and support chemical inventory and safety objectives.
• Keep accurate records, prepare technical reports, and maintain documentation for compliance and traceability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related technical field (required); Master's degree a plus.
• 5+ years of experience in resin chemistry, product development, or technical service within the wood products or chemical manufacturing industry.
• Strong working knowledge of PF, MF, and UF resin chemistry, formulation, and application testing.
• Demonstrated experience supporting structural adhesive applications (CLT, Glulam, OSB, Plywood, LVL).
• Familiarity with mill/production processes, batch troubleshooting, and manufacturing scale-up.
• Familiarity with SAP or similar material management systems (recipe maintenance not required).
• Proven ability to manage direct, customer-facing technical relationships, including trials and technical negotiations.
• Ability to work independently, lead complex problem-solving efforts, and mentor less experienced team members.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and project management skills.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% to mill and customer sites.

Preferred Skills

• Ability to support relevant industry codes and standards for structural wood product adhesives.
• Knowledge of EH&S regulations relevant to chemical manufacturing and laboratory environments.
• Experience mentoring or providing technical leadership to junior specialists.
• Lean Six Sigma or similar continuous improvement training.

We are an Equal Opportunity, Affluent Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, minority status, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any characteristic protected by law.

In order to be considered for this position candidates are required to submit an application for employment through our career site, be at least 18 years of age, willing to take a drug test, submit to a background investigation as part of the selection process, as well as additional periodic background checks as required by the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) or regulations adopted by the department of Homeland Security or other regulatory agencies.

Candidates are required to have unrestricted authorization to work in the United States.

If currently an employee of the Company, you must have current satisfactory work performance and in most cases, have been in your current role for 18 months.