Senior Wood Preservation Chemist

Base salary $110,000-$140,000

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, PTO, 401k.

Join a state-of-the-art R&D team focused on developing and commercializing innovative wood preservation and protection products. This is a hands‑on opportunity to lead formulation projects, optimize existing products, support scale‑up and manufacturing, and use your chemistry or materials expertise to solve technical challenges in an evolving industry.

Requirements

• BS or higher in Chemistry, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, Wood Science, or a related field
• 5+ years of relevant industry experience with an MS, or 10+ years with a BS; PhD candidates with relevant industrial or research experience may also be considered
• Direct experience with wood preservation or wood protection products preferred
• Hands‑on formulation development, materials development, or applied chemical R&D experience
• Experience independently modifying existing formulations and developing new formulations
• Knowledge of wood structure, degradation mechanisms, preservatives, coatings, or wood protection technologies preferred
• Experience designing and executing laboratory experiments and interpreting data
• Experience transitioning formulations from laboratory development to pilot or commercial scale preferred
• Knowledge of scale‑up, process optimization, manufacturing support, and technology transfer
• Ability to independently lead technical projects and make data‑driven recommendations
• Working knowledge of chemical safety, regulatory, and product stewardship requirements
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non‑technical audiences

Job Duties

• Develop and optimize new and existing formulations to meet customer and product performance requirements
• Adjust raw materials and processing parameters to improve product performance, cost, sustainability, and regulatory compliance
• Design and execute laboratory formulation studies, stability assessments, and application testing
• Investigate and troubleshoot formulation, manufacturing, and customer‑related challenges
• Evaluate and select raw materials based on performance, cost, sustainability, regulatory requirements, and customer needs
• Support technology transfer from laboratory development through pilot and commercial scale‑up
• Provide manufacturing support, process optimization, troubleshooting, and commercialization support
• Independently develop experimental plans, prioritize resources, interpret results, and make technical recommendations
• Develop or utilize analytical and QC test methods to evaluate physical properties and chemical composition
• Maintain accurate laboratory records and technical documentation
• Contribute to patents, technical specifications, and other intellectual property documentation
• Translate customer needs and performance requirements into measurable technical objectives
• Present technical findings and recommendations to both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Stay current with developments in chemistry, wood science, competitive technologies, scientific literature, and regulatory requirements
• Participate in industry conferences, technical meetings, and trade shows as appropriate
• Maintain a safe, organized laboratory environment and comply with required training and procedures