ABOUT SOLENIS
The product portfolio of Solenis includes a broad array of water treatment chemistries, process aids, functional additives, and cleaners and disinfectants, as well as state-of-the-art monitoring and control systems. These technologies are used by customers to improve operational efficiencies, enhance product quality, protect plant assets, minimize environmental impact, and create cleaner and safer environments.
Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, the company has 69 manufacturing facilities strategically located around the globe and employs a team of over 16,100 professionals in 130 countries across six continents. Solenis has been recognized as a Best Managed Company for 4 consecutive years and was named as 2024 Best Managed Company Gold Standard Winner.
Senior Research and Development Chemist- F&B
Location: Mumbai
Department: Research & Development
Job Summary:
Seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior R&D Chemist for formulation development and application support in industrial cleaning solutions tailored to the food and beverage industry. The candidate will have deep knowledge of surfactants, cleaning protocols, and specialty additives, and will play a key role in developing innovative products, guiding junior scientists, and collaborating with field teams and customers. This role also includes team leadership responsibilities, guiding a multidisciplinary team of lab technicians toward impactful research outcomes. Wide technical and business knowledge of the industry. Capable of customer cost and value analysis and comparison of various solutions for customer needs.
Key Responsibilities:
Formulation Development:
Design and develop new industrial cleaning formulations using surfactants and specialty additives. New products from concept to launch.
Innovate and optimize products such as track treatment lubricants, bottle wash additives, and process food cleaning agents.
Evaluate and incorporate biocides for hygiene and microbial control. Various class of disinfectant including oxidizing and non-oxidizing, their mechanism of action and impact on material of construction at use and awareness of regulatory requirement in food industry.
Good knowledge of surfactant chemistry especially the non-ionic range with respect to chain length, degree of EO/PO and its influence on cloud point solubility and detergency
Sound knowledge of chelants and new generation polymers which can deliver more suitable cleaning solution.
Well versed in scaling of new product from laboratory to pilot plant and commercial production
Application Expertise:
Understand and apply cleaning protocols specific to food and beverage processing environments.
Ensure formulations are compatible with various materials of construction used in industrial equipment.
Demonstrates potential for independent project planning.
Reliable under pressure, utilizes learning techniques to analyze find solutions,
Responsible for generating ideas, developing predictive test methods and showing the ideas give practical impact.
Can be an active member of R&D sub-teams located in different geographies to meet project goals in an efficient and effective manner
Field Coordination & Trials:
Collaborate effectively with field business personnel to understand customer needs & to successfully conduct trials with customer acceptance.
Reduction in customer complaints or product failures
Participate in field trials at customer locations to validate product performance and finalize specifications.
Functions effectively with one or more teams.
Product Stability & Compatibility:
Conduct stability studies and assess long-term performance of formulations.
Evaluate chemical compatibility with packaging and equipment materials.
Independently devises methods for product acceptance as per business needs,
Experience in formulating detergent in both acidic and alkaline condition with use of suitable hydrotropes with or without disinfectants.
Team Leadership & Mentorship:
Guide and mentor junior scientists in laboratory experiments and formulation techniques.
Promote a culture of innovation, safety, and continuous learning to meet the lab productivity and experiment success rate.
Collaborate with marketing and business leaders to develop strategy for brewing and beverage packaging hall market area.
Documentation & Compliance:
Maintain systematic records of lab activities, experiments, and results and or formulation improvements implemented
Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
Presents work in team meetings
Having culture of patents filing or technical papers published.
Project management skills, R&D tools and techniques, Stage gate process, Six Sigma, Cost analysis, good conceptual & problem solving skills essential.
Preferred Skills:
Experience with green chemistry and sustainable formulation strategies.
Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and industrial safety standards.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills to lead teams and engage stakeholders.
Periodical inspection of PPE, eye shower, body shower, fire extinguisher etc. as per guideline
Participate in root cause analysis in department whenever required.
Develops test procedures and policies for evaluating raw materials, work in process and finished products.
Responsible for all key points of new product introduction such as plan, design develop and validation in laboratory scale
Qualifications:
Ph.D. or master’s degree in chemistry, Microbiology, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
Minimum 8+ years of experience in industrial R&D, preferably in chemical solutions for food and beverage industry
Proven experience in teamwork and project management within an R&D setting.
Strong knowledge of biocides, food and beverage industry
Proficiency in analytical techniques, data interpretation, and scientific reporting.
Lead the design and development of new chemical formulations for industrial applications.
Conduct and oversee microbiological studies and performance evaluations of bio-entrants.
Analyze and interpret analytical reports to inform formulation strategies and product improvements.
Evaluate polyacrylamide-based polymers and biocide systems.
Ensure compliance with regulatory standards and safety protocols in all R&D activities.
Ensure lab chemicals are properly labelled with hazard symbol and compatibly stored.
Periodical inspection of PPE, eye shower, body shower, fire extinguisher etc. as per guideline
Participate in root cause analysis in department whenever required.
