Senior Formulation Scientist

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,500 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2022 revenues of approximately $10.6 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com. 

 

Job Description:

Eastman Chemical Company is currently seeking an experienced formulation scientist with a proven track record of successful commercial product launches at our corporate headquarters in Kingsport, TN.  This role reports into the Care Solutions Technology Division and will be responsible for the development of new products, formulations, and product concepts in support of a multi-generation technology platform centered around Sustainability-Enhanced ingredients for Personal Care applications.  This is a highly empowered role that requires working effectively with cross functional and global teams, as well as with formulators at key customers to validate and optimize the performance benefits of Eastman ingredients in color cosmetics and hair care applications.

Responsibilities:

 

Enabling Competencies & Behaviors:

• Influence - Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional team members, internal stakeholders, and external decision makers.  Effectively and efficiently drives alignment and progress on early stage/front-end innovation efforts both internally and externally.  
• Strategic Thinking & Judgement - Ability to assess complex problems and situations, develop and articulate a clear vision, recommended path forward and gain buy-in from teams.  Comfortable developing options, making choices and providing recommendations despite certainty of outcome.
• Bias for Action - Convey a sense of urgency, drive issues to closure and persist despite obstacles or opposing viewpoints.  Drives timely and effective decisions and recommendations that produce targeted results.

 

This is the role:

• Initiate and lead research projects in a fast-paced, results-oriented team environment.
• Lead in planning of formulation development and laboratory experiments, design relevant application tests.
• Grow the understanding of the use of Eastman materials in personal care and beauty formulations and suggest options to expand uses.
• Work closely with product development and market development functions to identify novel solutions to unmet market needs and opportunities.
• Work with formulators at customers to demonstrate and optimize performance of Eastman developmental ingredients.
• Develop relationship with independent institutes and technical centers in fields of Personal Care formulations, method development and lab testing.
• Facilitate brainstorming sessions, bring ideas for new products, provide creative solutions.
• Participate in Eastman’s safety programs and formulation capability programs.
• Establish and run collaborations with external partners, e.g., customers, universities.
• Conduct literature searches and monitor patent activity, to keep up with competing technologies.
• Represent Eastman personal and home care businesses at technical meetings/conferences.
   

Qualifications:

• Master or PhD degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Polymer/Material Science, Colloidal Science, Cosmetology Science, or Engineering with strong drive for results and a hands-on mentality; PhD preferred.
• 10+ years if industrial experience with formulation development and ingredients commonly used in Personal Care & Beauty applications; color cosmetics industry knowledge and experience preferred.
• A proven track record of successfully connecting market needs with technology solutions.