Senior Research Engineer--Process Innovation Team Lead at Sunstar Engineering Americas Inc – springboro, Ohio

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced process engineer or scientist with a strong background in scaling up highly filled pastes such as adhesives, sealants, and coatings. This role will lead a small team dedicated to bridging lab-scale innovation with manufacturing reality. The right candidate combines hands-on technical expertise with team leadership skills to improve processes, drive efficiency, and deliver high-performance solutions.

What You’ll Do

· Lead and mentor a small R&D team focused on process scale-up and improvement.

· Translate lab formulations into robust pilot- and production-scale processes.

· Develop, validate, and document manufacturing methods for adhesives/sealants.

· Partner with R&D, Manufacturing, and Quality to align on resources and timelines.

· Identify and implement process improvements that enhance efficiency, cost, and sustainability.

· Evaluate and introduce new equipment or technologies to strengthen operations.

What We’re Looking For

· Bachelor’s in Chemical/Mechanical/Materials Engineering, Chemistry, or related field.

· 5–10 years’ experience in processing adhesives, sealants, coatings, or other highly filled materials.

· Proven track record of leading or mentoring teams in R&D or process engineering.

· Strong background in scale-up, DOE tools (JMP/Minitab), and data-driven decision making.

· Excellent communicator who can present technical findings to cross-functional teams.

Preferred

· Experience at the R&D–Manufacturing interface.

· Familiarity with pilot-scale equipment and commissioning.

· Lean/Six Sigma or other continuous improvement certifications.

Why Join Us

This is a unique opportunity to build and lead a core innovation function at a global company with a 95-year history of developing advanced adhesives and sealants. If you thrive on turning lab concepts into scalable processes and enjoy mentoring others, we’d like to hear from you.