Ink Formulation Chemist
15 days ago
Colorado Springs
Job Description: \n \n The Ink Formulation Chemist works within CTI's Research & Development team to develop, optimize, and standardize specialty ink and coating formulations while serving as a key technical resource and backup to the Technical Services function. This role bridges R&D, Production, Sales, and customers by developing reproducible formulations that perform consistently in manufacturing and at customer press sites, reducing troubleshooting and allowing the R&D team to focus on innovation. \n \n Duties & Responsibilities \n\n • Perform hands-on laboratory work daily, including formulation, testing, evaluation, and optimization of specialty inks and coatings. \n, • Develop and refine ink formulations through laboratory experimentation and iterative testing. \n, • Conduct laboratory testing to validate formulation performance before manufacturing and customer implementation. \n, • Develop new ink and coating formulations from concept through commercialization. \n, • Standardize and optimize existing ink formulations to improve manufacturing consistency and repeatability. \n, • Investigate ink discoveries and implement improvements into production-ready formulations. \n, • Address production concerns and collaborate with Manufacturing, R&D, and Quality to resolve technical issues. \n, • Support customer trials, production runs, and press-side implementation of CTI products. \n, • Organize customer test plans, equipment, materials, and collect technical data during evaluations. \n, • Develop formulations that perform consistently at customer press sites with minimal last-minute adjustments. \n, • Serve as a technical backup for Technical Services by supporting customer inquiries, troubleshooting, and press trials. \n, • Work closely with Sales to provide technical expertise during customer interactions. \n, • Use statistical analysis and existing data to evaluate formulation performance and identify trends. \n, • Maintain detailed technical documentation, laboratory records, and customer reports. \n, • Support scale-up activities from laboratory development to manufacturing. \n, • Collaborate with all departments to further company goals and continuous improvement. \n, • Perform other duties as assigned. \n, • Operate laboratory equipment used for formulation development, product evaluation, and quality analysis. \n, • Document laboratory observations, test results, and formulation changes accurately. \n\n \n Required Skills & Abilities \n\n • Extensive hands-on ink formulation experience in a manufacturing environment. \n, • Strong understanding of formulation reproducibility and process optimization. \n, • Experience troubleshooting manufacturing and press-related issues. \n, • Knowledge of ink components, raw materials, and printing applications. \n, • Strong analytical and root cause problem-solving skills. \n, • Excellent customer service and communication skills. \n, • Ability to collaborate across R&D, Production, Sales, and Technical Services. \n, • Ability to write technical reports and communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences. \n, • Strong Microsoft Office skills. \n\n \n Education & Experience \n\n • Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field required; Master's degree preferred. \n, • 5+ years of ink formulation experience in a manufacturing or plant environment. \n, • Experience with standardized ink formulation and formulation optimization. \n, • Metal Deco and solvent-based ink experience strongly preferred. \n, • Experience supporting customer press trials and technical service activities preferred. \n, • Experience collaborating with Sales and customer-facing technical teams. \n, • Willingness to travel up to 25% as needed. \n\n Ideal Candidate \n Brings extensive ink formulation expertise, understands manufacturing and press performance, is customer-focused, and is passionate about developing robust, reproducible formulations that reduce variability and minimize customer troubleshooting. \n Work Environment \n\n • Work is performed within the R&D laboratory, manufacturing areas, and customer facilities. \n, • Regular work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. \n, • Domestic and occasional international travel may be required (up to 25%). \n\n