Development Chemist

POSITION OVERVIEW 

This is a dynamic role for a Development Chemist in the Technology organization at Ascend Performance Material’s Decatur, AL site. This role is part of a process development team supporting pilot plant operation, bench scale unit operation, wet chemistry experimentation, and analytical troubleshooting. Chemistry focus is largely on organic chemistry, electrochemistry, and analytical chemistry.  This is a non-remote full-time laboratory position within a plant site with a traditional 5-day work week.

TARGETED OUTCOMES 

• The successful candidate will work under the direction of the Decatur Technology Manager and with a team including skilled operators and PhD level scientists. Frequent collaboration with manufacturing and production engineers is an important part of this role. Strong work ethic, self-directed, and self-motivated working styles are desired.
• The candidate will regularly support the pilot plants and bench scale processes where needed through a team approach. This will include designing experiments, data reviews, and actively troubleshooting where necessary as a team – leveraging all the talents.
• The candidate will also be responsible for supporting the manufacturing plant troubleshooting via a host of analytical laboratory instruments.  The candidate should be able to proactively engage and lead these efforts with good communication and documentation. This is a great opportunity to learn the processes and engage other teams.
• The candidate will support method development where necessary in support of plant processes or our sustainable specialties chemical intermediates business and to support our site QC team.
• Lastly, a culture of proactive vision for safety, regular use of visual management, 5S, A2E (Lean/Six Sigma) culture, “One Ascend” mentality, and documenting via memo reports best captures our first-in-class culture.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Job responsibilities include the use of laboratory instruments to measure physical and chemical properties of materials as well as the calibration and maintenance of the instruments. 
• The candidate will use knowledge of chemical and physical principles to modify procedures, conduct method development, configure equipment for specific needs, interpret experimental results, and prepare reports. 
• The successful candidate will analyze routine as well as special project samples and be actively involved in problem solving activities as they interface with all levels of the lab and various site organizations.  
• Engaging teams on realizing value and knowledge of the process will be a growth point for the candidate in the longer term.
• Opportunities to develop and engage in plant trials are fairly common for value realization/hand-off.
• Escalate any issues and/or barriers to success so that they can be properly managed.

TEAM 

• Reports To: Site Technology Manager 
• Team: Process Technology (R&D) contains PhD chemists and laboratory technicians which oversee analytical equipment, bench scale units, multiple pilot plants, and opportunities for plant trials.
• Resources: Decatur Technology’s lab space, material availability, instrumentation, and scale-up pilot plant resources are a proud point in our workspace.  Private office, laptop, cell, and other resources will be assigned. Lab-connected or lab-detached spaces are available.   

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE 

• An M.S. degree in Chemistry or related field of education and a minimum of 7 years’ experience is preferred. A PhD in chemistry or engineering discipline is welcome.
• Six-Sigma green or black belt is a plus.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people, from PhD chemists to operations personnel, to senior leadership.

REQUIRED SKILLS 

• A person that will act safely when no one is looking. A person that engages teammates to be safe in an engaging and positive way. The ability to stop work if there is an unsafe condition, report it, and correct it.
• Ability to operate in a team environment but lead and champion your objectives actively. The ability to listen and give feedback to foster team development.
• Be able to translate needs and objectives into actionable goals.
• Ability to organize and document thoughts clearly and concisely to others – potentially with different divisions containing differing disciplines and/or backgrounds.
• A spirit of innovation is desired.
• Must possess knowledge to make decisions about special samples and troubleshoot lab and manufacturing problems. The ability to investigate and answer questions that are meaningful and realize value to the internal customer.
• Support the running of the pilot plants and bench top units as it relates to sample collection, analytical analysis, troubleshooting, document and visual management, and data analysis.
• Strong communication, people interaction, coaching, leadership, and organizational skills with the demonstrated ability to train other technicians is desirable.
• Must have or be quickly able to gain a thorough knowledge of LIMS/Sample Manager, process statistics, DOEs, ASPEN, SEEQ, and other lab systems including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. 
• Self-motivated with a strong work ethic.
• Good mechanical assembly skills and use of hands-on work is expected.
• Experience with Gas and Liquid Chromatography, spectroscopy, wet chemical analysis of intermediates chemicals is required.
• Knowledge of chemical, electrochemistry, and nylon manufacturing processes is desired. 
• Knowledge of quality systems (ISO:9001) and requirements – able to ensure consistency of operations within the established quality system guidelines.
• Project management and Phase Gate/Stage Gate development knowledge is desired.
• Experience working in an industrial laboratory setting is a plus.

At Ascend Performance Materials, we value transparency and fairness in our hiring process. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters, search firms, or staffing agencies. Any resumes received from such entities will be considered the property of Ascend Performance Materials, and we will not be obligated to pay any fees for such submissions. Our Talent Acquisition Team actively engages with preferred recruitment partners who have established agreements with us. We encourage all interested candidates to apply directly through our official channels to be considered for any open positions.

Skills Summary:

About Us:

Ascend Performance Materials is the premium provider of high quality chemicals, fibers and plastics. With world scale integrated manufacturing facilities we are able to develop new products from our core technologies, and provide flexibility to respond to the expanding needs of customers. Ascend has global sales and distribution facilities across the globe and six manufacturing facilities globally. As a privately-held company, our people do big things and make big decisions, often much earlier in their careers than at larger companies. Ascend Performance Materials offers team members the opportunity to contribute in big, meaningful ways—all within a stable and growing business.

Why work at Ascend?

Our vision is to be the recognized leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, creating new possibilities with PA66 for everyone, everywhere, every day. We achieve that through living our Ascend values.

We care. We operate safely with high integrity for our employees, our customers and our communities. Our people are our greatest assets, and our Total Rewards Program extends beyond traditional benefits to include access to on-site medical clinics at our U.S. facilities, a global wellness rewards program and Performance Matters, an employee-driven recognition plan. Our Commitment to Zero demonstrates our belief that is it possible to operate with zero personal injuries, zero process safety incidents and zero environmental releases. And the Ascend Cares Foundation, led by Ascend employees, supports Ascend families in times of need, provides inspiring opportunities ​​for community engagement and facilitates community leadership.

Customer-focused. We exist for our customers; they drive our actions. Their success is our success. Our plastics and chemicals are building blocks that help make everyday essentials safer and more sustainable, and we constantly strive to develop new and innovative products to meet the future needs of our customers. And that customer focus doesn’t only apply to the marketplace – it also applies to how we treat our colleagues and our fellow community members.

Better every day. We invest in our people and our processes to improve every day. A2E, our continuous improvement program, guides the way we do business. And this way of problem solving applies not only to our manufacturing practices but also to our commitment to developing our people. You’ll see it during your career at Ascend in our leadership development, skills training and mentoring programs

Agile. We think broadly and lead proactively in a constantly evolving organization and industry. Agility doesn’t mean simply working quickly – it means critical thinking, creative problem solving and novel approaches to everyday challenges.

One Ascend. All together, with a common set of goals and an eye toward the future. We don’t accept silos. We look for ways to share across departments, sites and geography. This means you won’t be boxed into a single role at Ascend – you could get the chance to work with teams across the globe to improve the way we serve our people, our customers and our communities.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, citizenship, genetic information or other protected status under federal, state or local laws.