Technologist - Guar & Polymer Laboratory

Job description

Solvay is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program. Novecare develops and produces formulations that alter the properties of liquids. It offers solutions to the oil and gas industry using an extensive range of surface chemistries combined with applications expertise. Novecare also provide specialty solutions for certain industrial applications, agricultural, and coatings markets.

Job Overview and Responsibilities:

Results-oriented researched with experience with R&D, process scale up, and industrialization of novel molecules
Manage R&I projects in their perimeter: new product development and industrialization. 

For new product development

·  Research a given topic and develop a program based on market needs
·  Execute and manage the research program with minimum supervision
·  Synthesize novel molecules using various laboratory techniques
·  Characterize new molecules to confirm desired structure
·  Evaluate data and interpret results 
·  Define new synthetic pathways for new molecules
·  Identify critical process parameters
·  Collaborate with global team members
·  Properly communicate findings to all stakeholders
·  Effectively document findings (ELN, technical reports, project updates)
·  May train or direct other junior researchers and be responsible for special assignments 
·  Perform required safety reviews and documentation
For new product industrialization

·  Plan and execute experiments at lab and pilot; support scale up process
·  Evaluate data and interpret results and communicate findings to stakeholders
·  Perform required safety reviews and documentation
·  Prepare pilot trials for internal or customer sampling in order to get sample approval
·  Run and validate scale up trials 
·  Support at the plant location a risk analysis dedicated to the first batch production

Work alongside supply chain, industrial, R&I, and business / market team members
Contribute to scale up efforts globally to deliver novel, high performing products
Work closely with customer and toll manufacturer technical teams to address application and/or product quality issues with expeditious results delivery to customer specifications
Support all safety and good housekeeping practices in accordance with the site policies

Education and Experience:

·  PhD Chemistry plus 20+ years of experience 
·  Experience in multistep organic synthesis and polysaccharide (guar) derivatization

Skills:

·  Experience with managing strategic projects
·  Experience with developing and executing research programs
·  Able to collaborate well with market labs, pilot plant, and industrial teams
·  Demonstrated ability to perform laboratory work safely with minimum supervision
·  Demonstrated ability to communicate to stakeholders – verbal and written
·  Experience working and have direct communication with external customers
·  Experience synthesizing  organic molecules and derivatized polysaccharides, as well as characterizing these molecules using NMR, FTIR, XRD, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, optical microscopy, SEM
·  Demonstrated ability to communicate project findings in an oral setting
·  Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
·  Fluency in French & English

Nice to have Skills:

·  Experience in design of experiments (DOE) – planning, executing, interpreting, and communicating results
·  Ability to manage several projects at once
·  Ability to lead / manage a team
·  Background in physical chemistry and materials science
·  Recognized chemist with many publications with academic experience