Staff R&D Materials Chemist Engineer

About the role

This Staff R&D Materials Chemist Engineer will develop new materials, concepts, and products for orthodontics. The role involves interfacing with employees at all levels across various departments, including R&D, Operations, Quality Assurance, Technical Services, Regulatory Affairs, and Procurement.

Responsibilities

• Hypothesize and develop materials formulations, including defining, developing, and testing new adhesive formulations based on glass/resin composite mixtures.
• Prepare solutions, compounds, and reagents used in chemical laboratory procedures.
• Conduct experiments using appropriate equipment, techniques, and protocols without supervision; independently plan and carry out daily work.
• Conduct research aligned with company priorities and establish schedules to meet project timetables using established DOE methodologies.
• Record experimental data according to established procedures, perform calculations, evaluate results, make recommendations, and maintain accurate records.
• Prepare advanced technical reports and white papers; summarize and communicate complex data to non-technical audiences.
• Lead medium to large new technology projects with minimal supervision, ensuring accountability for results and data ownership.
• Mentor junior scientists and engineers.
• Work with R&D, Procurement, and Manufacturing teams to identify, evaluate, and qualify suppliers and raw materials for new product development (NPD).
• Establish instructions, processes, and plans to transition projects from R&D to Manufacturing.
• Serve as the technical advisor to engineering, manufacturing, QA, and procurement staff for raw material requirements, vendors, material test protocols, and fabrication processes.
• Develop and update engineering documents such as Manufacturing Instructions, drawings, tests, and qualification protocols.
• Propose experimental approaches to complex problems and design experiments using scientific methods, from hypothesis to conclusions reporting.
• Conduct scientific literature reviews.
• Identify deficiencies and improve existing procedures.
• Collect and analyze information on competitor product performance.
• Provide training to other associates.
• Perform related duties as responsibilities necessitate.

Qualifications

• Ability to conduct experiments independently and plan daily work without supervision.
• Experience with DOE (Design of Experiments) methodologies.
• Strong technical writing skills for reports, white papers, and documentation.
• Experience mentoring junior scientists and engineers.
• Proficiency in scientific literature review and competitor product analysis.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams (R&D, Procurement, Manufacturing, QA).