Senior R&D Chemist

Senior Chemist

We are currently looking for an experienced and enthusiastic individual to join our Research & Development team in Wimborne as a Senior Chemist. We are offering this position on a full time, on site basis.

As our Senior Chemist, you will play an important role in developing and improving our products, leading formulation projects from concept through to launch and supporting the continued evolution of our paint portfolio.

Working within our Research & Development team, you will balance innovation, sustainability, quality and cost to deliver products that meet our performance standards while supporting wider business and sustainability objectives.

What we expect from you as a Senior Chemist

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead new product development and product improvement projects from initial concept and formulation through testing, scale up and introduction into production.
• Develop and optimise paint and coating formulations, balancing product performance, quality, sustainability, regulatory requirements and commercial considerations.
• Evaluate existing and emerging raw materials, including pigments, fillers, extenders, resins, polymers, waxes, emulsions, surfactants and rheology modifiers.
• Identify and evaluate sustainable raw materials and technologies that can improve environmental performance while maintaining product quality and commercial viability.
• Support sustainability objectives through formulation development, raw material selection and product optimisation, considering areas such as VOCs, carbon impact, renewable content and material efficiency.
• Carry out and interpret formulation and performance testing, including colour, viscosity, scrub resistance, opacity, blocking, tannin blocking and other relevant paint and coatings testing.
• Use technical data and structured experimentation to identify opportunities to improve product performance and resolve formulation challenges.
• Identify opportunities for formulation simplification, value engineering and cost optimisation without compromising quality or performance.
• Provide technical expertise and input into product, manufacturing and raw material risk mitigation activities.
• Develop strong relationships with suppliers to identify innovative and more sustainable raw materials, evaluate alternative materials and support supply continuity.
• Maintain accurate laboratory records and support the development and adoption of digital laboratory and data management systems.
• Support high standards of laboratory health and safety, including COSHH requirements and chemical inventory management.
• Clearly communicate technical findings and recommendations to colleagues, suppliers and stakeholders across the wider business.
• Maintain awareness of developments in coatings technology, sustainability, legislation and raw materials, identifying opportunities relevant to Farrow & Ball.