Job Description:
Company Description:
ITW Evercoat is a global leader in the manufacture of professional collision repair products. ITW Evercoat is a division of Illinois Tool Works Inc within the Polymers and Fluids segment. We are known for our unique 80/20 business model and core values of Integrity, Respect, Trust, Shared Risk and Simplicity. Illinois Tool Works (ITW) is a Fortune 200 Company headquartered in Glenview, IL. The ITW Evercoat division is based out of Cincinnati, OH.
Job Summary:
This position is responsible for the development of new and innovative products for the metal and plastic repair markets. This person is a senior, experienced industrial bench scientist/chemist and project leader with a passion and curiosity for polymer composite structure-property relationships, reaction kinetics, non-Newtonian rheology and successfully bringing chemical products to market. This person enjoys the mixture of team leadership and mentorship while still operating in the lab and performing benchtop chemistry. Individual functions as a “player-coach” with both individually assigned projects as well as oversight of a small team.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Technical project leadership for customer backed innovation (CBI) projects in the field of reactive polymer composites, primers and coatings
To create, develop and scale patentable innovative products for plastic and metal repair markets.
Direct supervision and leadership of small team of chemists/technicians tasked with divisional research and development projects and initiatives.
To deliver and articulate structure property relationships using mathematical/statistical models derived from a ‘design of experiments’ (DOE) rapid prototyping approach to development
Lead critical raw material projects such that supply chain disruptions and/or lower cost innovative solutions are delivered to production and/or the business
Own scale up and new product package transfer, including QC specification setting, to Production and Quality Control of all new product developments
Develop objective (i.e. with Gage R&R) test methods as needed for application testing as needed
Champion continuous improvement in the CBI/New Product Development phase gate process from Ideation to Launch while using project management techniques and best practices
Participate in plant safety teams and share responsibility for chemical hygiene and chemical hazardous communication
Other duties may be assigned
Education and Experience:
Minimum master’s degree in chemistry or Polymer Science or Polymer Engineering or Chemical Engineering or equivalent. A Ph.D. in chemistry, polymer science or polymer engineering is preferred.
Minimum 5 years of relevant industrial experience after graduation preferred.
Qualifications and Skills:
Strong senior level bench chemistry formulation proficiency along with technical problem-solving skills, classic testing instrumentation knowledge and experience
Technical paper authorship
Public technical presentations
Project management training. Stage Gate process training.
Practical knowledge of statistical tools (like DOE) and relevant software (like JMP or Minitab)
Experience in rapid prototyping
Design for Six Sigma experience also considered a plus
Physical Requirements:
The inability to perform any of the following physical requirements does not preclude an applicant from consideration unless, following an individualized analysis, it is determined that the physical requirement is an essential job function, and the applicant is unable to perform such function with or without reasonable accommodation. Please refer to the Essential Duties and Responsibilities.