R&D Technician

Non-exempt

The R&D Technician performs tests to determine chemical, mechanical and physical characteristics or composition of solids, liquids, or gaseous materials for such purposes as quality control, process control, or product development by performing the following duties.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assists Chemists and other Aspen personnel on research programs and product development.
• Tests samples of manufactured products to verify conformity to specifications.
• Records test results and summarizes observations, results, procedures used and conclusions.  
• Assists in troubleshooting instrumentation problems
• Carries out calibrations and other quality assurance practices and protocols where applicable.
• Assures an adequate supply of materials/inventory is available to analyze various products.
• Assures all job activities adhere to company Environmental, Health and Safety requirements.
• Writes Standard Operating Procedures
• Performs routine maintenance on equipment
• Analyzes experimental data
• Operates specialized equipment without SOP’s
• Excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent knowledge of Excel, Access, Word and other software programs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to follow written standard operating procedures.
• Freedom to determine some tasks, priorities and goals
• Able to make some decisions without supervision

QUALIFICATIONS:

• BS/BA in Engineering/Science or equivalent work experience preferred; a 2 year Associates degree in science is a minimum requirement
• At least 2 years experience in R&D chemistry preferred
• Experience conducting laboratory work involving mechanical testing (compression, tensile, 3-point bend), thermal analysis (TG/DSC, HFM, GHP), chromatography (GPC, IC, GC), surface area (pore size distribution) and particle size analyses, spectroscopy (FTIR, UV/VIS), or similar methodologies is preferred

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Frequently required to stand, walk, sit, work near moving mechanical parts
• Continually required to talk or hear
• Occasionally works around fumes, airborne particles, or toxic chemicals 
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate 
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move more than 10 pounds.