Staff Formulation Scientist

The Staff Formulation Scientist will optimize and design compositions that deliver crop protection active ingredients for commercialization.  Compositional considerations will include utilization of surfactants and other chemistries, while determining composition type such as granules, suspension concentrates, emulsions, dispersions, etc. to stabilize multiphase and multicomponent mixtures.  This will entail materials selection with an emphasis on physical and chemical characterization and formulation robustness testing to ensure ease of manufacture and final use by the customer.  Additionally, the formulation chemist will work with interdisciplinary teams to characterize various aspects of performance, such as application, bioefficacy, safety, toxicity, and scale-up of the design.  The formulation scientist’s high-level responsibilities are development and stewardship of formulations from product conception and design to production and customer use.

This specific role will be focused on the development of insecticide products in the crop protection market.   The ideal candidate will be able to design experiments to assess product stability and application performance.  This will be done through a working knowledge of structure-property relationships and intelligent recipe design around surfactants, rheology modifiers, and other coformulant ingredients.

Accountabilities

• Plan, organize, and conduct experiments to design and optimize agrochemical formulations, meeting biology, marketing, regulatory, production, and supply chain criteria. 
• Validate formulation robustness through rigorous physico-chemical characterization.
• Collaborate with engineering teams at pilot and production scale for introduction of newly developed products.
• Participate and communicate timely and effectively to technical and non-technical stakeholders on interdisciplinary project teams.
• Coordinate and carry out laboratory work to develop new or improved manufacturing processes in support of global supply chains.
• Steward local and global product portfolios and ensure product quality by designing and implementing  new testing methods, in addition to, supporting manufacturing and regulatory teams to ensure registerability and customer satisfaction of Syngenta products.
• Define and implement innovative and creative solutions during product life-cycle development, scale-up, and stewardship.
• Actively pursue opportunities for innovation and intellectual property independently and collaboratively.

Critical success factors & key challenges

• Exhibits the ability to lead and prioritize multiple projects concurrently. 
• Demonstrates flexibility and the ability to influence and negotiate within cross-functional teams.
• Displays excellent communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrates the ability to define, lead, and progress challenging and ambiguous projects.
• Shows an aptitude to learn and apply new scientific disciplines, strategies, or technologies.
• Employs organizational skills for proper time-management and clear communication of results.  

Critical knowledge

• Minimum PhD degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 0+ yrs industry experience.
• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 2+ yrs industry experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 10+ yrs industry experience.

Critical experience

• Technical background in chemistry or chemical engineering. 
• Proficient in common laboratory techniques.
• Show proficiency in experimental design and/or method development.
• Additional experience in one or more of the following areas is not required but considered desirable:  colloid, material, surfactant, polymeric, rheological, crystallization, statistical, or biological sciences; experience working with or within regulatory, toxicological, manufacturing, or supply-chain areas.

Critical technical, professional, and personal capabilities

• Comprehensive experience and knowledge in a laboratory setting.
• Takes initiative, is known as a self-starter, and exhibits a passion for problem-solving.
• Shows adaptability and is an agent for change.
• Exhibits timely and effective judgement as a subject matter expert.
• Seeks opportunities to collaborate within and outside of candidate’s area of expertise.
• Enjoys contributing and engaging within diverse technical and non-technical teams.   
• Shows an aptitude for mentoring and willingness to coach others. 

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

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As a world market leader in crop protection, we help farmers to counter these threats and ensure enough safe, nutritious, affordable food for all – while minimizing the use of land and other agricultural inputs. Syngenta Crop Protection keeps plants safe from planting to harvesting.  From the moment a seed is planted through to harvest, crops need to be protected from weeds, insects and diseases as well as droughts and floods, heat and cold. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Switzerland