Sr Scientist

Cabot Corporation (NYSE: CBT) is a leading global specialty chemicals and performance materials company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Our businesses deliver a broad range of products and solutions to customers in every corner of the globe, serving the transportation, infrastructure, environment and consumer industry sectors. We bring the power of innovative chemistry to solve customers' challenges today while preparing them to meet tomorrow’s needs. Our commitment to innovation is driven by a passion to advance our customers' businesses through our deep understanding of their applications and the global trends that impact their operations.

If you do not meet every requirement, or your experience is slightly different that what we have listed, we still encourage you to apply!

Position Summary

• Serves as an independent researcher responsible for independently leading and executing projects of moderate to high complexity, contributing to the creation of new concepts, and providing solutions to complex technical problems in areas of performance chemicals, specifically in segments of Sealants (silicone and urethane, preferred) and Elastomers.
• Scouting new growth areas for Cabot’s Carbon and Silica Technologies products beyond current applications by identifying, evaluating, and developing innovative solutions within the new application spaces. The role demands a high level of curiosity, a strong innovation mindset, technical leadership, agility, and comfort working in areas with significant uncertainty.
• Employs thorough scientific approach, including understanding of scientific and patent literature, hypotheses setting, statistical approach to experimentations, data analysis, and reporting. Applying data science, and/or machine learning are a plus.
• Emphasis on research and synthesis of data into actionable information, planning and designing/ adapting methods, improving methodology.
• Works and guides a group of specialists and technicians in lab network to develop and standardize application relevant experimental designs, formulations, and rigorous testing protocols to support projects. Provides guidance and training for junior R&D employees.
• Participates in selected customer-facing activities and interacts with Sales/Marketing or Product/Process development groups. May lead regional customer interactions designed to expand our existing and new product applications.
• Works closely with Global and Regional Marketing Managers and Technical Service to execute segment strategy and application development priorities.
• Contributes to technical solutions in the commercial realization of new products or processes in the areas of Sealants and New Growth Initiatives.

Job Requirements (Principal Responsibilities)

• Conducts independent research to understand and deliver solutions to complex and important technical and commercial problems in Sealants and Elastomers applications. Drives project objective setting with technology management and other functions (e.g. marketing, manufacturing, etc.).
• Sets hypotheses and formulates technical approaches to complex problems. Leads the design of creative solutions to applications challenges; works with customers, R&D and other members of the technical community to further develop new applications for existing and new products.
• Plans, schedules, conducts, or coordinates detailed phases of projects of varying scopes to meet project objectives and timeline.
• Conducts experiments/investigations that may involve applications, product or process design/development, testing and validation of materials. Complements experiments with the use of modeling and theory. Improves, changes or adapts existing methods and techniques and may introduce new methods and techniques as appropriate.
• Generates data, conducts advanced statistical analysis, and organizes and interprets data to support new processes, materials, and application understanding. Conducts tests, draws conclusions, advances hypotheses, and makes recommendations.
• Prepares appropriate reports and presentations documenting work, results, conclusions. Presents work to management, broad technical groups and/or business partners.
• Proactively shares knowledge and information with others (e.g. customers, Sales/Technical Services, Marketing, R&D) through activities such as technical seminars, informational posters, white papers, etc. with the aim to advance the technical strength of the organization.
• May prepare and present materials and participate in exchanges with product line/manufacturing or Sales and Tech Service/external partners/customers and/or contribute to technical documentation for external use. May participate in or present at technical conferences or tradeshows.
• May be responsible for guiding the technical work of one or more junior R&D team members who are assigned to support their project(s), planning lab activities ensuring quality and safety, addressing day-to-day questions related to the project(s) being supported..
• Adheres to all intellectual property standards throughout area of responsibility. Stays current with relevant patent literature. Identifies opportunities to capture new IP and supports the preparation of patent applications.
• Ensures safe laboratory operations, participates in scheduled safety meetings and completes safety training requirements. Creates awareness and develops technical documentation and tools to address safety topics. Sought after for their expertise in safety to participate in safety-focused activities. Contributes to investigations into safety matters through RCA and 5-whys.
• Strictly follows and complies with all SH&E procedures, standards and regulations and constantly strives for Excellence in the fields of sustainability and Safety, Health and preservation of the Environment.
• Supports efforts to implement and maintain the Responsible Care® Management System in line with the requirements of the RC14001® technical specification, as applicable to the site/region.
• Collaborates closely with R&D, Marketing, Business Development, Manufacturing, and external partners to scout new growth areas, conduct technical feasibility assessments, develop value propositions, and advance projects through Stage-Gate development process.
• Results oriented: shows high degree of responsibility, accountability and commitment; takes initiative to drive projects that may not have clear ownership; can “get things done.” Keeps safety as highest priority while driving results.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills and Behaviors)

• Advanced knowledge and understanding in one or more scientific disciplines (e.g. chemistry, material science, polymers, chemical engineering). Ability to understand industry trends and anticipate future unmet customer needs and design solutions.
• Ability to balance high technical quality with the practicality of execution and timing. Ability to connect between scientific disciplines. Ability to independently execute in a manner that is aligned IP and business strategies. Comfort with what is unknown and an eagerness to explore in pursuit of new ways to improve and create value, e.g. can move forward using the 80/20 rule. Ability to synthesize and document experimental results in written reports to capture knowledge.
• Ability to identify causes of and potential solutions to complex problems. Technical problem analysis in the context of the bigger picture. Ability to project differing points of view for the decision-making process. Able to distinguish fact from inference/assumption/hypothesis when analyzing all aspects of a project. Experimental design, modeling, data management, and analysis proficiency. Skillful data interpretation, to create knowledge.
• Knowledge and effectiveness in the critical aspects of Project Management.

Education/Experience

• Ph.D. in a related technical discipline generally with 5+ years related experience, or Master’s Degree in a related technical discipline and generally 8+ years of related experience, including prior laboratory, product and/or application development, and project management experience. Experiences and/or training in sealants and/or polymers are preferred.
• Experience on managing customer interactions/relationships in a Technology environment (for purposes of product/application development) is highly desirable.
• Experience in applying data science, statistical analysis, and/or machine learning in an industrial or R&D environment is strongly preferred.

At Cabot, we bring the power of innovative chemistry and a spirit of partnership with our customers to advance solutions that will enable a sustainable future. Our strength in research and development is a major reason why we have been an industry leader for more than 135 years in products such as reinforcing and specialty carbons, battery materials, aerogel, fumed metal oxides, inkjet colorants, masterbatches and conductive compounds.

Our employees around the world are united by our shared purpose: Creating materials that improve daily life and enable a more sustainable future. Through our corporate strategy, “Creating for Tomorrow,” we are focused on our core strengths to lead in performance and sustainability – today and into the future.