Senior R&D Scientist – Lab Manager Opportunity – Small Team, Big Technical Impact!
Location: near Downey, CA (relocation assistance is available)
Base Salary: $135,000-$175,000 + Bonus
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k w/ match, Holidays, PTO
Job Type: Full-Time
Lab Hours: M-F, 5:00 AM – 1:30 PM (some flexibility)
Start Date: ASAP
Sponsorship is not available
Senior R&D Scientist – Formulation Chemistry (Lab Manager Opportunity) Description
Our client, a growing manufacturer of specialty construction materials, is searching for their next R&D leader to join their team outside of Downey, CA. This opportunity is open due to the planned retirement of a longtime technical leader who has spent more than 20 years with the company. You’ll lead a small technical team (2) while remaining heavily involved in hands-on formulation development and R&D activities. This is not a role where you'll spend your days reviewing reports from behind a desk. Instead, you'll spend 50% of your time performing hands-on laboratory work, including formulation development, testing, and new product development. The remainder of your time will be split between supporting quality initiatives, collaborating with manufacturing, and helping guide the overall technical direction of the business. Candidates should have a strong background in formulation development within a wet chemistry environment. Aside from a strong technical background, they’re looking for someone who craves an opportunity to work with a smaller team where you’ll have more influence and fewer organizational layers to cut through. This is a rare opportunity to join a company coming off its strongest year to date and take over for a longtime technical leader who genuinely wants to leave the role in good hands and help set the next person up for success.
Senior R&D Scientist – Formulation Chemistry (Lab Manager Opportunity) Responsibilities
- Lead development, testing, and optimization of new formulation-based products
- Conduct experiments to evaluate new materials, formulations, and product improvements
- Oversee daily operations of the R&D and QA/QC laboratories and manage staff (2)
- Analyze testing results, troubleshoot quality issues, and support corrective actions
- Partner with manufacturing teams to scale new formulations from the lab into production
- Ensure compliance with industry standards, testing protocols, and quality requirements
- Oversee laboratory equipment, calibration schedules, and inventory
- Assess new formulations for performance, manufacturability, and cost.
- Serve as a technical resource for customers, suppliers, sales teams, and industry partners
- Represent the company at industry events and speaking engagements
Senior R&D Scientist – Formulation Chemistry (Lab Manager Opportunity) Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or chemical engineering
- 1+ year of supervisory, team lead, or laboratory management experience
- 4+ years of hands-on wet chemistry
- experience
- Strong background with R&D and new product development
- Experience developing new formulations within coatings, adhesives, sealants, emulsions, specialty chemicals, paints, or similar productsAbout #twiceasnice Recruiting
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Pay: $135,000.00 - $175,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- What types of products or formulations have you worked on? Have you worked with emulsions, coatings, adhesives, sealants, paints, specialty chemicals, or similar products?
- Our client has budgeted this role for $135,000-$175,000 + Bonus. Does that fall within your expectations or what would you be looking for to make a move?
- This role is onsite near Downey, CA. Where are you located and how far is your commute? Please note our client does provide relocation assistance if needed.
- This role works closely with manufacturing and operations in an industrial production environment. Are you comfortable working in this type of setting?
- If you have a LinkedIn, please share the URL.
Education:
Experience:
- hands-on wet chemistry laboratory : 4 years (Required)
- formulation and/or new product development : 2 years (Required)
- R&D: 2 years (Required)
- supervisory, team lead, or laboratory management : 1 year (Required)
Work Location: In person
