R&D Applications Specialist Associate Chemist

H.B. Fuller is a leading global adhesives provider focusing on perfecting adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemical products to improve products and lives. Our commitment to innovation brings together people, products and processes that answer and solve some of the world's biggest challenges. And, our promise to our people connects them with opportunities to innovate and thrive.

H.B. Fuller’s Engineering Adhesives segment develops adhesive solutions for the automotive and aerospace, wood and composite, electronics and energy, glass, durable assembly, and bus, truck, rail and recreational vehicle industries. As these dynamic markets continue to change, and consumers demand lighter, safer, greener and more reliable products, we partner with our customers to deliver highly engineered solutions.

Application Specialist

St. Paul, MN

The Application Specialist will assist scientists/work independently in the synthesis/formulation of novel systems to meet market and business needs in the lab and support operations to facilitate scale-up and efficient production of developed technologies. The application specialist will be proficient in various chemical and analytical tests/processes used in development/formulation of new products. The Application Specialist is responsible for conducting laboratory, pilot and field trials to support the introduction of new products and/or new applications. The application specialist is responsible for purchasing, maintaining, testing, and calibration of lab and application equipment. The application specialist will leverage their acquired expertise of their specialty equipment and applications to construct new apparatus and/or modify existing equipment to solve unmet customer needs and demonstrate the efficacy of existing products. The Application Specialist will troubleshoot customer problems, develop test methods, make product recommendations, and recommend customer process modifications to improve application properties. The Application Specialist will also contribute to overall R&D efforts by actively seeking new, improved, more efficient, and more commercially relevant methods for application and performance testing.

Responsibilities:

• Independently or work with chemists on the formulation/synthesis of adhesives in the lab
• Supporting operations to facilitate scale-up and efficient production of developed technologies.
• Proficient in various chemical and analytical techniques/tests used during the development of adhesives
• Knowledge of different reactive chemistries and structure-property relationships of polymers
• Independently conduct experiments and trials for existing and potential customers to support product/process introductions.
• Utilize expertise of equipment and applications to construct new apparatus and/or modify existing equipment based on the knowledge of our customer and equipment capabilities.
• Use their discretion to apply application and equipment expertise to solve unmet customer needs, troubleshoot application process problems, demonstrate the efficacy of existing products and make recommendations to customers for products and/or process improvements based on data driven conclusions.
• Utilize statistical analysis tools and Design of Experiments (DoE).
• Analyze and interpret data to support the generation of (internal and external) technical reports without supervision.
• Document test results and product/process improvement recommendations.
• Develop, share, and maintain applications knowledge base for various combinations of equipment and product technologies.
• Develop testing methods to simulate field applications and/or modify and improve application processes, test methods and/or products.
• Coaching and mentoring others in the lab and application.
• Work with customer operations and technical personnel to resolve product performance issues.
• Provide training to the technical group, sales-force, marketing, and external customers on specific application techniques and methods.
• Work safely following the company guidelines and using all protective equipment
• Interaction and collaboration with all regional R&D and technical service teams for technology transfer and gaining regional market knowledge, application knowledge and customer specific testing requirements

Minimum Requirements:

• Four year technical degree (chemistry, Chem E, or materials science) or 2 year Vo-Tech certificate in laboratory technology plus 2 years of industrial experience
• Combination of years of college Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics, Mathematics (15 quarter credits=1 year) and 3 years of relevant industrial experience.
• Demonstrated ability to simulate field applications and design test methods to generate product recommendations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to travel (~25%)
• Strong team-player with ability to drive results
• Strong computer skills in Windows environment required

Preferred Requirements:

• Four year technical degree (chemistry, Chem E, or materials science)
• Excellent presentation skills
• Strong technical report writing skills
• Superb organizational skills.
• Flexibility, skill and temperament to work in a fast pace product development environment. The application specialist must be able to work in a team environment, be detailed oriented and be able to communicate clearly.

Employees are eligible for full benefits, including medical, dental, insurance, 401k contribution, paid time off and paid holidays.All employees also qualify for an annual cash bonus, based on business performance. Annual raises are rewarded based on company and individual performance.

To all recruitment agencies: H.B. Fuller does not accept agency resumes unless directly engaged by Human Resources. Please do not forward any resumes to Human Resources or any employees. H.B. Fuller is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

For more information and to apply, go to: http://jobs.hbfuller.com/

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H.B. Fuller is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.