Senior Material Scientist - Core New Product Development

Since our founding in 1953, MonoSol has been dedicated to creating solutions that benefit both people and the planet. Leveraging our expertise in water-soluble technology, our talented team of chemists, engineers, and innovators is committed to developing safer, simpler, and more sustainable alternatives across various industries. We encourage our employees and customers to challenge conventional thinking, and our technology has already transformed sectors such as detergents, healthcare, and agriculture. As we tackle packaging waste issues with our recent advancements, we remain rooted in the entrepreneurial spirit that started in Northwest Indiana.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a passionate and strategic Senior Material Scientist to lead our global sustainability initiative focused on developing water-soluble polymer-based packaging solutions. This position is a key role within our MonoSol Core New Product Development (C-NPD) team, responsible for delivering innovation to our customers by leveraging fundamental research, front-end innovation, and strong project management approaches. You will collaborate closely with marketing and directly with customer R&D teams to build and validate new solutions for unmet needs in laundry and autodish soluble unit dose applications. This position will be in Chicago, reports to the Senior Manager of C-NPD, is a functional member of joint MonoSol and customer technical development team and will actively lead initiatives across the department for continued capability expansion. The position carries with it a high degree of visibility requiring the ability to communicate through all levels across the organization and with customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take ownership of customer relationships, understanding their unique needs and collaborating to develop tailored water-soluble packaging solutions.

• Lead, develop, and establish new technical solutions for unmet needs in laundry and autodish segments utilizing MonoSol’s Innovation Process, a stage-gate framework.

• Guide cross-functional teams in evaluating the application of new materials, developing structural-property relationships, and creating innovative solutions tailored to customer needs.

• Perform hands-on mechanical and performance testing on solutions using common and advanced laboratory test equipment.

• Utilize advanced data interpretation methods (e.g., Python scripts, JMP, MATLAB) to evaluate new materials and processes, ensuring they meet internal and external customer requirements.

• Independently generate testable hypotheses and experimental plans contributing to project goals while exploring film converting processes for mechanistic insights

. • Collaborate with global teams of scientists, engineers, and sales professionals on development projects, interpreting test results and presenting findings to customer technical teams.

• Maintain a flexible work style, with a willingness to travel (up to 20% domestic and international) as needed to engage with customers and stakeholders.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Material Science, Polymer Science, Chemistry, or Chemical Engineering is required.

• 5-10 years of hands-on laboratory experience with a strong understanding of various polymer chemistries and structural-property relationships.

• Proven project leadership and management experience, particularly in leading innovation projects across various applications and industries.

• Familiarity with data science tools such as Python, JMP, MATLAB, or Mathematica is strongly preferred.

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail around laboratory procedures, sample management, and data storage.

• Strong team-oriented professional with good interpersonal skills, a positive outlook, and the ability to communicate effectively (oral and written) with R&D leadership and non-technical departments.

• A curious thinker who continuously questions assumptions, explores all angles, and challenges the status quo while being passionate about solving consumer/customer problems.

• Ability to operate in technical, management, and commercial arenas and thrive in a fastpaced, entrepreneurial, and open-thinking corporate environment.

• Proficient in Microsoft Windows, Office Suite, and SharePoint.

Additional information

Applicable only to applicants applying to a position in any location with a pay disclosure requirements under state or local law:

• The compensation range that is described below is the possible base pay compensation that the company believes in good faith that it will pay for this role at the time of posting based on job grade for the position. Individual compensation within this range is based on many factors such as years of experience etc. so the company might pay more or less than the posted range and it is understood that this range may be modified in the future.
• In addition to base compensation, MonoSol provides a yearly incentive compensation bonus, a profit sharing bonus when eligible, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision insurances, short term disability, long term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, term life insurance, voluntary term life insurance, transit flexible spending account (if applicable), employee assistance program, identity theft protection, 401k and paid time off (vacation and sick days).

Compensation range - $83,766.62 - $163,108.91

Incentive Compensation Bonus Target – 10 - 15%

Paid time off amount – 15 days

Closing

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by employees assigned to this position. This is not intended as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. MonoSol, LLC reserves the right to make changes to the job description whenever necessary.

Disclaimer

As part of MonoSol, LLC’s employment process, finalist candidates will be required to complete a physical drug/ alcohol test, and background check prior to employment commencing. MonoSol, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, or marital status.