BOPP Films - R&D Scientist

The Research Scientist will be responsible in the Product Development and scale-up of BOPP film products and their continuous improvement (including root-cause analysis in cases of claims), and the selection of suitable raw materials.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for design, evaluation, and reporting on trial programs in plastic film product development at lab, pilot and production scale to meet standards and troubleshoot any issues based on root cause analysis.


• Meet customers to understand their needs and translate them into product designs, and present on technical problems and developments


• Design and plan R&D trials in coordination with sales, customer service, and manufacturing considering international Food Contact regulations.


• Analyze developmental approaches for Freedom to Operate and Patentability against the background of prior art.


• Deliver on-time reports in close coordination with the related departments.


• Work collaboratively with the supporting teams in the related departments regarding making film samples, testing of film products, and transfer of the formulations into manufacturing scale.


• To attend and resolve customer complaints and provide technical support as required based on the experience as a product developer.

Requirements:

• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Material Science, Polymer Science, or closely related field required, and at least five years of experience in plastics, films, converting, labels or a related industry is required.


• Familiarity with structure / properties relationships of polyolefins and related polymers with regard to the design of multilayer film structures and the methods used for their characterization.


• Familiarity with methods to characterize and modify the surfaces of polymer films regarding acceptance and adhesion of coatings and printing inks and/or for the (vacuum) deposition of inorganic coating materials like metal and metal oxides is preferred.


• Thorough understanding of the properties of film structures, interaction between the relevant polymer materials and additives, especially in regards to the film surface.


• Backgrounds in Food Contact applications, especially if related to moisture, gas, and aroma barrier, are considered a plus.


• Experience with technologies used in label and flexible packaging industries for reactive curing, including UV and e-beam, are considered a plus.


• Experience in formulation of organic water and solvent based coatings and their applications, considered a plus.


• Familiarity with polymer materials and additives used in the coating industry and methods used for their characterization, considered a plus.


• Familiarity with Stage Gate product development and project management processes, preferred but not required.


• Self-motivated, innovative, and detail-oriented.


• Strong oral and written communication skills.


• Working knowledge of all common software packages such as Microsoft Office.