Senior Research Scientist

Indorama Ventures: Indovinya; The Woodlands (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

WellHub / TotalPass

Life insurance

Other exclusive benefits

Job summary

Indorama Ventures is seeking a Senior Research Scientist in Personal Care to lead formulation science, application development, and customer engagement across global markets. You will partner with strategic customers, drive innovation, and manage complex projects from concept to commercialization.

The ideal candidate holds advanced degrees in Chemistry/Engineering with 6–10+ years in R&D, excellent communication skills, and a track record translating customer needs into innovative formulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD required with relevant years of industrial experience.
• Strong background in Personal Care ingredients and formulation science.
• Experience translating customer needs into innovative formulations and technical solutions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Bilingual English plus Portuguese or Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical expert and trusted advisor for strategic customers in Personal Care.
• Drive technical engagement with key accounts with formulation support and recommendations.
• Establish strong technical relationships with customers, researchers, and industry stakeholders.
• Deliver technical presentations, workshops, and training at meetings and conferences.
• Lead and support medium- and high-complexity innovation projects from concept to commercialization.
• Execute product and application development strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Evaluate experimental products through characterization and testing.
• Identify new business opportunities and contribute to the innovation pipeline.
• Collaborate with R&D, Regulatory, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams.
• Maintain laboratory notebooks and support patent-related documentation.
• Ensure safety and proper training adherence.

Education

BS in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Biochemistry, or Polymer Chemistry/Engineering (strongly preferred)

MS in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Biochemistry, or Polymer Chemistry/Engineering (strongly preferred)

PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Biochemistry, or Polymer Chemistry/Engineering with 4 years of industrial experience

R&D laboratory experience

Surfactants knowledge in laboratory or application uses

Market applications in Personal Care/home & personal care

Excellent organizational and communications skills

Formulation science knowledge

Technical presentation skills

English; Portuguese or Spanish language skills

Tools

PMOX (project management system)

Databases

Job description

Have you ever thought about being part of a company that reimagines chemistry every day to build a better world?

That’s the purpose of Indorama Ventures, and we want you with us on this journey!

We are looking for innovative, collaborative professionals who are ready to embrace the challenge of working in a company that is constantly expanding internationally.

We value flexibility, partnership, and believe that the impact of our actions goes far beyond the chemical industry.

Here, diversity matters.

Our work environment is inclusive, diverse, and guided by respect, ethics, and equal opportunities for all.

What we’re looking for:

Senior Research Scientist | Personal Care

Professional Summary

Senior Research Scientist with a strong background in Personal Care ingredients, application development, and customer engagement. Experienced in partnering with strategic customers, identifying market opportunities, and delivering science-based solutions that drive business growth and competitive advantage. Proven ability to lead complex development projects, foster crossfunctional collaboration, and bridge customer needs with R&D capabilities. Expertise in formulation science, technical marketing support, customer engagement, and innovation pipeline development across global and regional markets.

Highly autonomous and proactive professional with a strong entrepreneurial mindset and proven ability to identify market opportunities, build strategic partnerships, and convert customer needs into innovation and business growth initiatives.

What will be expected from you?

• Serve as a technical expert and trusted advisor for strategic customers within the Personal Care market.
• Drive technical engagement with key accounts, providing scientific expertise, formulation support, and solution-oriented recommendations.
• Establish and maintain strong technical relationships with customers, research institutions, consultants, and industry stakeholders.
• Deliver technical presentations, workshops, and training sessions at customer meetings, industry conferences, and trade shows.
• Lead and support medium- and high-complexity innovation projects, from concept development through commercialization.
• Execute product and application development strategies aligned with business objectives, customer needs, and market trends.
• Evaluate experimental products through physicochemical characterization, performance assessment, and application testing.
• Identify new business opportunities and contribute to innovation pipeline development and growth initiatives.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including R&D, Regulatory, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Commercial functions, to ensure successful project execution.
• Generate technical insights and market intelligence to support strategic decision-making and customer engagement.
• Set up and execute laboratories to meet both internal and external customer expectations.
• Developing methods to analyze samples or the applications testing to prove claims.
• Maintain an awareness of the literature and other sources of information to remain current with developments in the area of functional products of interest to the Corporation.
• Keep neat and orderly notebooks containing a record of all work performed. Maintain other records as necessary to support patent applications for innovative products.
• Maintain orderly laboratory space.
• Follow all safety and training requirements.
• Full knowledge of Indorama internal systems including PMOX (the project management system).
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects effectively meet deadlines.
• Manage and optimize all processes under your supervision, taking into consideration Quality, Legality and Food Safety (if applicable) and client needs on Indorama’s products and services.
• Guarantee all documentation under your responsibility updated and available for consulting.
• Interact with R&D team to improve the lab, lab methods, etc.
• Able to manage a small team to solve these problems.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including R&D, Marketing, Regulatory, Supply Chain, and Commercial functions.

What are we looking for in the Ideal candidate?

• B.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Biochemistry, or Polymer Chemistry/Engineering strongly preferred plus 10 years’ experience, or
• M.S. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Biochemistry, or Polymer Chemistry/Engineering strongly preferred plus 6 years’ experience, or
• Ph. D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, Biochemistry, or Polymer Chemistry/Engineering with 4 years of industrial experience.
• 1-5 years’ experience (more 5 years’ experience preferred) in:
• R&D laboratory preferred,
• Surfactants knowledge in laboratory or application uses strongly preferred,
• Market applications specific knowledge required in areas such Personal Care,or home & personal care for scientists in market segment areas Personal Care and Color Cosmetics formulation, including prototype development, formulation optimization, and troubleshooting.
• Excellent organizational and communications skills
• Strong knowledge of formulation science, application testing, and experimental design.
• Experience in translating customer and market needs into innovative formulations and technical solutions.
• Computer literacy w/ databases, word processing, spreadsheets
• Demonstrated presentation skills required
• English with Bilingual Portuguese or Spanish strongly preferred

Core Competencies

• Technical Leadership
• Customer Technical Support
• Strategic Customer Engagement
• Business Development
• Entrepreneurial Mindset
• Ownership & Accountability
• Autonomy & Self-Leadership

What do we offer?

A competitive compensation package, including:

• Health insurance
• WellHub / TotalPass
• Life insurance
• And other exclusive benefits

The division you’ll be joining is a global leader in the chemical industry. We offer a broad portfolio of solutions and high delivery standards to markets such as Crop Solutions, Home and Personal Care, Coatings, Energy & Resources, and Performance Products.

Here, you can make a difference.