Research Scientist

At Seaman Corporation, every associate is instrumental to our success. Become a part of our growing team!

Do What’s Right. Work Together. Create Solutions.

At Seaman Corporation, we are dedicated to creating and supplying quality, high performance fabrics that protect our planet and our customers. From humble beginnings in 1949 to a multi-million-dollar organization, this family-owned business has grown to be a leading manufacturer in highly durable coated fabrics, supplying our products to customers around the globe.

Every Seaman associate adds value to our continuously growing company. We believe by investing in the right people and resources we can drive sustainable growth throughout the business.

Seaman Corporation products are composed of proprietary knitted or woven base cloths and coating formulas to produce high performance roofing systems, geomembrane liners, truck tarps, architectural structures, and much more. We work exclusively with authorized fabricators, designers, consultants, engineers, and installers for quality solutions start to finish.

What We Offer

• Company performance bonus in addition to base salary
• Flexible work opportunities including flex schedules and remote work from home up to two days per week (if applicable to role)
• Professional development opportunities including tuition reimbursement, course training, and networking
• A competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, PTO, VTO, and paid holidays
• Activities including department outings, holiday parties, and our annual company-wide dinner
  
  

Seaman Corporation is seeking a Research Scientist to join our Technology team! This position will report to the Director of R & D in Wooster.

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Scientist with a minimum of 3 years of industrial experience, ideally in chemistry, polymers, or related fields. The role involves planning and conducting experiments, producing samples, documenting results, contributing to patents, and supporting product scale-up. The scientist will also explore new technologies and represent the company externally.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

Research and Development

• Work with other scientists and R&D Director to plan and prioritize experiments for R&D projects.
• Follow formulation procedures to formulate, apply, and test materials to required quality standards safely and reproducibly.
• Conduct practical experiments in polymer formulation, compounding, and coating at laboratory, pilot, and industrial scales.
• Develop and produce sample quantities of materials for product development and application testing.
• Collect data and create reports/updates to advance research plans in a timely manner.
• Maintain laboratory notebooks and other records as required.
• Research new methods to improve safety, efficiency, reproducibility, cost, and scalability of developmental products.
• Protect intellectual property through patent applications and communicate relevant technical data through presentations at external customers’ sites.
• Represent company at industry events.
• Work with process engineers and manufacturing to scale new products in production.
  
  

Laboratory Safety and Upkeep

• Participate in safety committees and safety auditing process.
• Maintain housekeeping to the established standard which provides a safe and efficient work environment.
• Maintain prototyping and analytical equipment to reliable performance and visibly pleasing standards.
  
  

Exploratory Work and Innovation Pipeline Development

• Research and develop new product concepts based on current and developing Seaman technology platforms.
  
  

Required Qualifications

Education

• MS in the empirical sciences, preferably Chemistry or Chemical Engineering or
• BS in the empirical sciences with 5 years of relevant Industrial R&D experience in a scientist role
  
  

Experience

• Industrial experience initiating and managing R&D projects.
• Strong problem-solving and trouble-shooting skills a must.
• Ability to design DOEs and Data acquisition plans to drive iterative technical development is a must.
• Ability to analyze complex data sets to identify the most important variables.
• Ability to organize and clearly communicate technical information is a must.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in the hard (empirical) sciences, preferably Chemistry or Chemical Engineering and 5 years of relevant Industrial experience initiating and managing R&D projects.
• Experience in liquid (plastisol) coating, hot-melt/dry-blended PVC or TPU compounding, or lacquer formulation.
• Familiarity with procedures to produce, apply, and test new compound formulas effectively and reproducibly.
• Experience and exposure to product development a plus.
  
  

COMPETENCIES

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Collaboration: Respects diversity and works to find common ground; helps others succeed and celebrates the wins; treats others with dignity and respect and values the contributions of others.
• Teamwork: Works together towards common goals; demonstrates good teambuilding and interpersonal skills.
• Entrepreneurism: Takes risks and isn’t afraid to fail; challenges the status quo; seeks to find unique solutions; demonstrates the ability to develop and/or support the introduction of new methods, products, technologies; fosters new ideas and illustrates the ability to be forward thinking.
• Continuous Improvement: Thinks beyond,” We’ve always done it this way.”; indicates openness to personal/professional development and willingness to learn; supports business growth and strives to exceed organizational objectives.
• Results: Identifies and removes roadblocks; focuses on outcomes, not activity; accepts full responsibility for commitments; confronts problems quickly; utilizes resources appropriately.
• Customer Focus: Goes the extra mile to delight customers (internal and external); develops strong customer relationships; seeks to understand needs and develops ideas for how to meet those needs; asks for feedback and listens actively.
• Integrity: Respects all individuals including associates, customers, and suppliers; demonstrates honesty and transparency even when that means sharing bad news; demonstrates ethical standards.
• Safety: Prioritizes safety in the workplace, aligns with philosophy of “if you see something unsafe, say something”.
• Communication: Articulates self accurately and appropriately to a variety of audiences through multiple channels and listens attentively; communicates clearly.
  
  

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITES: None

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: 5%

Seaman Corporation is an EEO Employer.

M/F/Disabled/Vet. EEO statement: “Seaman Corporation provides equal opportunity for employment and promotion to all qualified employees and applicants based on experience, training, education, and ability to do the available work without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, ancestry or any other status protected by law.

Furthermore, Seaman Corporation is committed to providing an equal opportunity workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment based on national origin, race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information or any other status protected by law.”

As an equal opportunity employer, Seaman Corporation does not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation, as a candidate for employment, please inform Human Resources.