Principal Scientist​/Eng

Job Details:
Location—Z-Research & Development, Hickory, NC. Position Type—Full Time. Shift—Day.

The Principal Scientist/Engineer will work with New Product Development (NPD) teams, executive leadership in Research & Development (R&D), Manufacturing, Marketing and Materials Management to build upon product and process expertise to identify, research, and scale up new technologies or deepen the understanding of existing technologies leading to the enhancement of the product or process technology portfolio.

• Maintain a high standard of safety performance including conducting all job duties in a safe manner and following the handling, storage and disposal of materials in accordance with environmental regulations.
• Work with NPD teams in designing pressure sensitive adhesive, back size/release and barrier formulations and coating methods.
• Develop an understanding of current and targeted PSA tape applications, including the performance requirements of these applications, and the unmet needs of users by working with outside partners to identify and implement solutions for meeting these unmet needs.
• Work closely with suppliers and external technology providers to develop, scale-up and commercialize PSA tapes and related products, as well as to refine current product designs.
• Manage new product development and research projects including establishing of goals, objectives and execution plans; use DOE methods as required; establish specifications for product performance, processing parameters, and raw materials in the creation of new products; document project results in technical report.
• Support research work with strong analysis of the patent and research literature.
• Contribute to the development of intellectual property as determined by the business and product innovation strategies.
• Maintain an awareness of external product and process technology developments related to PSA tape technology, including those of competitors, through external networks (academia, suppliers, customers, research institutes, etc.), literature study, and technical meetings and conferences and incorporate this information into the development of new products.
• Provide technical plant support for technology scale-up, as well as ongoing troubleshooting.

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science/Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 15+ years’ direct experience in PSA tape technologies.
• Ability to travel (15% of time) to domestic and foreign locations.
• Strong understanding of how to use the structure, properties and performance of pressure sensitive adhesives and their interaction with additives, tape constructions and substrates to develop new or improve existing products.
• Expertise in the physical, chemical, material and rheological characterization of polymers, including interpretation of GPC, DSC, TGA, FTIR, and DMA data.
• Ability to use innovation in planning, executing, and analyzing data in nonroutine studies.
• Strong technical network of suppliers, testing labs, universities and other pertinent entities to enable effective problem solving and evaluation of new technologies.
• Proven track record of collaborating with Sales, Marketing and customers to identify unmet market needs (Voice of the Customer) and developing new products to meet those needs.
• Demonstrated project management ability to plan and meet deadlines as evidenced by leading NPD project teams, as well as large corporate initiatives.
• Strong problem solving and decision‑making skills, with the ability to evaluate options and converge on a solution quickly.
• Strong communication skills, including coaching and mentoring others.
• Passion for innovation and a high degree of curiosity.
• Strong knowledge of statistics, including design of experiments.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present effectively to business, technical and operating groups, including senior executives.

• Ability to sit, stand and work in front of a laptop or PC workstation for extended periods of time.
• Some light lifting may be required.
• Manual dexterity for completion…