Johannesburg: R&D Chemist – Detergent / Industrial Industry

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled R&D Chemist to join our team in Johannesburg, South Africa. As an R&D Chemist, you will be responsible for developing new industrial, automotive, and household cleaning products that meet market requirements and business objectives. If you have a passion for product development and are looking for a challenging role, we encourage you to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Developing new industrial, automotive, and household cleaning products in line with market requirements and business objectives.
• Formulating new products including degreasers, hand cleaners, car care products, window cleaners, and related chemical solutions for customer orders.
• Conducting laboratory trials and product evaluations to assess performance, stability, safety, and cost-effectiveness.
• Improving existing formulations to enhance product performance, quality, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Investigating alternative raw materials and technologies to support product innovation and cost optimisation.
• Maintaining detailed formulation records and development documentation.
• Performing routine laboratory testing on raw materials, work-in-progress products, and finished goods.
• Analysing product performance against established specifications and quality standards.
• Preparing technical reports and recommendations based on laboratory findings.
• Troubleshooting production-related issues and identifying corrective actions to minimise downtime and waste.
• Investigating customer complaints and quality concerns to determine root causes and implement solutions.
• Ensuring compliance with internal quality standards and relevant industry regulations.
• Supporting quality assurance initiatives and continuous improvement programmes.
• Providing technical support to sales personnel, distributors, and customers regarding product applications and performance.
• Assisting with technical product training for distributors and sales teams.

Requirements

• A Degree or BTech or National Diploma, or equivalent qualification in Chemistry or related qualifications is preferred for this role.
• Previous experience having worked within an R&D and related role within the detergent or industrial cleaning or related markets within a manufacturing environment is preferred for the role.
• Experience working with detergents, industrial chemicals, cleaning products, or a related market is beneficial but not essential.

Qualifications

No specific qualifications mentioned in the original job description.

Salary & Benefits

Salary package details are not provided as they are highly negotiable depending on experience gained.