Senior R&D Chemist, Water-Based Coatings & Polymers

Mackinnon Bruce International; Connecticut; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Mackinnon Bruce International is seeking a hands-on R&D Chemist with deep experience in water-based coatings, polymers, and formulation development. The role centers on developing and optimizing coating technologies for plastics, composites, and molded polymers, including aqueous release systems.

The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 8–10 years of formulation expertise in coatings or adhesives, with strong lab skills and cross‑functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 8–10 years of formulation experience in coatings, paints, adhesives, or related specialty chemical industries.
• Experience developing and testing water-based coatings and adhesives.
• Strong knowledge of polymer chemistry, surface chemistry, rheology, emulsions, dispersions, and aqueous formulation.
• Hands-on laboratory experience with formulation development, coating testing, data analysis, and troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize water-based coating and release systems to meet performance and customer requirements.
• Formulate polymers, binders, surfactants, crosslinkers, rheology modifiers, and specialty additives.
• Design and execute laboratory testing for adhesion, film formation, surface properties, stability, miscibility, crosslinking, rheology, and release performance.
• Apply polymer chemistry, surface chemistry, rheology, dispersion, emulsion, and formulation principles to solve technical challenges.
• Replicate customer and manufacturing processes in the laboratory to predict application and field performance.
• Support customer trials, industrial evaluations, troubleshooting, scale‑up, and plant trials.
• Collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, quality, technical service, sales, and customers.
• Maintain clear documentation of formulations, experiments, test results, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Support new product development, raw material evaluations, continuous improvement, and scale‑up activities.

Skills

Hands-on lab skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering

Job description

Mackinnon Bruce International is seeking a hands-on R&D Chemist with deep experience in water-based coatings, polymers, and formulation development. The role centers on developing and optimizing coating technologies for plastics, composites, and molded polymers, including aqueous release systems.

The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 8–10 years of formulation expertise in coatings or adhesives, with strong lab skills and cross‑functional collaboration.