R&D Chemist (Analytical) (Decatur)

Daikin is committed to good corporate citizenship, providing new employment opportunities at our various sites. The company also makes every effort to contribute materially to the well-being of all aspects of the communities in which we work and live.

Supervisory Responsibility:

This position does not have direct reports. However, this position does require the ability to provide guidance for the laboratory technician including training, duties, and priorities.

Summary / Objective:

The primary role of the R&D Chemist is to provide analytical and technical support for existing and developmental products. The position also requires the ability to effectively engage both internal and external stakeholders (both technically and commercially focused). This includes representing technical aspects of our existing and potential solutions. The role also requires the ability to understand, analyze, and benchmark the performance of the pertinent Daikin products and competitive products/offerings. It is also required the ability to utilize and follow processes such as DOE (Design of Experiments), Design Stage Gate Review, and HDN (The ability to bring various materials into the technical center).

Qualifications:

• Preferably a PhD in Polymer Science, Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, or Chemistry with hands-on analytical experience, including method development:
• Or a Master’s degree coupled with three or more years’ experience
• Or a Bachelor’s degree coupled with five or more years’ experience
• Working knowledge of various analytical techniques including, but not limited to, GC-Mass Spec, Ion Chromatography, and GPC/ELS a must.
• Experience with various IR techniques, HPLC Mass Spec, and NMR a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to work across Japanese American cultural lines.
• Including both domestic and international travel to support transparent communication across Daikin’s various entities (total travel is about 25%).
• Conduct, and coordinate Research and Development with the aim of introducing new products for the markets we serve.
• The ability to design and coordinate laboratory experiments to accomplish project goals and objectives.
• Establish close working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including technical and commercially based team members.
• Assist manufacturing as needed, including reliable scale-up of new products, optimization of existing products, and improvement of our quality and yields.
• The ability to prepare capital proposals and budgets as required.
• Facilitate acquisition and installation of new laboratory and development equipment in support of new product development projects.
• Participate in site safety program. Create new safe operating and working procedures for new and existing equipment. Facilitate pre-start up safety reviews and ensure follow up for the recommendations for those reviews. Review safety issues and conducts hazard analyses.
• Support efforts to protect the environment and comply with all environmental rules.

Physical Demands:

• The role requires the ability to work within a chemistry laboratory environment and the challenges that come with it.
• The position also requires approximately 25% travel – both domestic and international.

Typical Duties / Responsibilities (may include):

• Prompt, regular, and dependable attendance is an essential function of this job.
• The primary role of this position is to provide analytical support to scientists and engineers within A5 Technical Center.
• Routine maintenance and upkeep of sophisticated analytical instruments.
• Method development and analysis for developmental and current materials.
• It is also necessary the ability to analyze competitive products for the purposes of benchmarking.
• Additional assignments as deemed necessary by management.