Chief Chemist in Southend-on-Sea

Chief Chemist – Coatings – Essex with RELOCATION ASSISTANCE! – Ref 2621 * Up to £45,000 per annum * Company pension scheme * Funded further education and professional development – formal qualifications, OCCA programmes, specialist technical training Our Client is an ambitious manufacturer…..to be the most innovative coatings company in the world, with a portfolio of decorative, industrial, marine, wood care, wax finishing and sports surfaces with the vision of exploring 2-part system coatings as a future direction. Due to company progression, our Client is seeking a Chemist to lead the development of innovative new coatings as own brands and for private label clients. The Chemist will set the formulation direction of the business, maintain and evolve the product library, and drive research and development across a wide range of coatings categories. Alongside your formulation work, the Chemist will support hands-on production when required and play an active role in mentoring the paint makers – sharing expertise and raising technical standards across the factory floor. Responsibilities; * Create and develop new formulations and private label clients, from initial concept through to production-ready specification * Manage and maintain the formulation library, ensuring all products are fully documented, version-controlled, and reproducible * Lead R&D projects across decorative, industrial, wood care, marine, sports surface, and wax coatings categories * Explore the potential development of 2-part system coatings as a future category * Evaluate and select raw materials, including understanding preferred grades, specifications, and viable substitutions * Oversee standard testing of finished products and selected raw materials to ensure all formulations perform within prescribed tolerances * Ensure all products comply with Trading Standards, Health and Safety, and labelling regulations * Maintain and update health and safety data sheets for all raw materials and manufactured products in line with current CLP regulations * Liaise with regulatory bodies, Trading Standards, the HSE, and environmental organisations to ensure legal and ethical compliance * Work hands-on in production when required, supporting the manufacturing team and ensuring formulations translate reliably into batch output * Mentor and develop the paint makers – sharing technical knowledge, supporting problem-solving on the floor, and building capability across the team * Control Bills of Materials and Works Orders, maintaining accuracy across formulation records * Provide technical input on product costing to support sales and marketing decisions * Support the purchasing team on raw material decisions – providing technical input on specifications, grades, and supplier selection Candidate Profile: * HNC in Paint Technology, Chemistry, or a related discipline preferred * Qualified By Experience candidates with a minimum of 8 years' relevant formulation experience will be considered * Demonstrable experience formulating water-based and/or solvent-based coating systems * Strong grounding in polymer chemistry, rheology, and raw material behaviour * Working knowledge of CLP regulations, VOC compliance, and safety data sheet requirements * Hands-on approach – comfortable working in a production environment as well as a lab setting * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a commercial awareness of how formulation decisions affect product performance and margin Whitehall is the Recruitment Specialist for the Chemicals, Coatings, Polymers and Life Science Industries