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R&D Chemist

Rust-Oleum Corporation
Pleasant Prairie, WI Full Time
POSTED ON 8/5/2025 CLOSED ON 9/3/2025

What are the responsibilities and job description for the R&D Chemist position at Rust-Oleum Corporation?

Job Description

As our R&D Chemist, you will play a key role within R&D’s technical ladder. This role requires an experienced level of technical knowledge and experience with the ability to utilize structure property relationships and design principles to execute efficient design of experiments.

Solving challenges is the very foundation of who we are. After all, in the beginning, our founder, sea captain Robert Fergusson, didn’t particularly care about paint. When he founded our company in 1921, he just wanted to keep his ship intact and stumbled upon a valuable solution. Today, that discovery is Rust-Oleum Corporation.

The same passion that drove the Captain to spend his next few years creating the world’s first rust-preventative paint still drives us today. When we see a problem, we work diligently until we’ve perfected a solution, which has led to some of the most cutting edge, durable and innovative products in the industry. Our creative and talented team of over 2000 people across every corner of the world, help us remain the global leader in protective paints and coatings for both home and industry.

The R&D Chemist will demonstrate and apply the following skills to their work:

  • Good understanding of Scientific Methodology – uses hypothesis driven research and problem-solving capability using experimental design, data analysis and documentation
  • Coating Chemistries: Intermediate knowledge of a range of coatings chemistries, focused primarily on waterborne acrylic chemistry, but also including alkyd, epoxy, urethane, etc.
  • Coating Formulation Science: Various coating systems of architectural primers, basecoat, topcoat systems for liquid (waterborne)
  • Coatings Application and Development: Application techniques, equipment, substrates coupled with good understanding of DIY and Contractor Coatings on various substrates such as drywall, metal, wood, concrete, plastic etc.
  • Analytical science and material science emphasis on structure-property relationship

Technical Leadership

  • Ability to execute against project plans
  • The R&D Chemist begins to demonstrate capabilities of becoming vocal and influential voice in project plan and deliverables w/R&D, marketing, and additional cross-functional teams
  • Ability to present complex data and project findings to stakeholders in leadership and cross functional teams in a timely and efficient manner
  • Strong technical (verbal/writing) & interpersonal communication and presentation skills – the R&D Chemist begins to demonstrate and apply these skills:
  • Helps to identify innovative approaches towards un-met market needs
  • Confers with peers and supervisors to conduct analyses of research projects, interpret test results, or develop nonstandard tests
  • Continuous learning and intimate awareness of open literature and competitive landscape
  • The R&D Chemist works with guidance of leadership towards initiatives set forth
  • The R&D Chemist demonstrates the ability to influence decision making and communicate with project stakeholders or cross-functional teams, leadership and external scientific community

People Leadership

The R&D Chemist demonstrates the following attributes:

  • Outstanding personal and interpersonal skills – listening, compassion, motivating, inspiring, humor, patience, understanding diversity, negotiating etc.
  • Energetic, Driving and Inspiring
  • Action oriented, perseverance and results driven
  • Demonstrates Courage
  • Leadership (technical and managerial) command skills, conflict management
  • Continuous learning/growth and mentorship and teaching skills

Organization Leadership

The R&D Chemist exhibits the following attributes:

  • Agility to respond to emerging business needs - strong management of change skills
  • Builds partnerships internally within R&D, internal functions (marketing, manufacturing, sourcing, etc.) and externally (vendors, customers, etc.)
  • Using/assessing the organizational processes and developing new processes to improve efficiency and quality
  • Good presentation skills
  • Demonstrate strong career ambition – potential to become top leader
  • Good business acumen

Education Guidelines

  • BS in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials, or other equivalent scientific field required
  • MS strongly preferred

Experience Guidelines

  • Minimum of 3 years relevant experience is required.

From big benefits to small, we take care of our associates! After 30 days of employment, you will be eligible for a benefits package that includes medical, dental, life, disability and business travel insurance, flexible spending accounts, EAP, stock purchases and vacation/sick days/parental leave. We also offer a 401(k) plan after three months of employment. Associates are vested in the RPM Pension plan after completing five years of service. RPM Consumer Group offers 9 paid holidays and one floating holiday per year. You are also eligible to earn three weeks of vacation on an annualized basis.

RPM Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, or any other protected class.
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