R&D Manager

JOB DETAILS

LOCATION: Khuskhera, Bhiwadi, Rajasthan

DEPARTMENT: Research & Development

REPORTS TO: Director / Technical Head

SALARY: 5.00 LPA - 7.20 LPA (Negotiable and open to being higher, based on candidate's experience and capability.)

Preferred Candidate Profile

We are looking for a candidate with hands-on experience developing pigment dispersions and specialty formulations across PU foam, footwear, artificial leather, FRP, IMC, adhesives, and industrial coatings someone who combines strong technical depth with the leadership skills to build and guide a high-performing R&D team

JOB SUMMARY: The R&D Manager will lead all R&D activities for the organization developing new formulations, improving existing products, troubleshooting customer-facing technical issues, optimizing manufacturing processes, and managing and mentoring the R&D team. This is a hands-on technical leadership role requiring both deep formulation expertise and the ability to manage projects, people, and cross-functional collaboration with QA/QC, production, and sales/technical support teams.

Education & Experience

Education: M.Sc. Chemistry / B.Tech or M.Tech in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Paint Technology, or Industrial Chemistry. A Ph.D. is preferred but not mandatory.

Experience: 8-15 years of experience in formulation R&D, including at least 3 years in a leadership/managerial capacity.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and formulate pigment dispersions, and solvent- and water-based colorants for a wide range of end-use industries.
• Develop new and improved products for PU foam, footwear, artificial leather, FRP, in-mold coatings (IMC), adhesives, and industrial coatings.
• Optimize formulations for cost-effectiveness, pigment loading, viscosity, storage stability, heat/UV resistance, and VOC reduction.
• Evaluate and select pigments, carbon black, resins, additives, solvents, surfactants, and rheology modifiers for new formulations.
• Provide hands-on technical support to customers and sales teams, and resolve product application issues in the field.
• Scale up laboratory formulations to pilot and full production batches, working closely with the manufacturing team to improve process efficiency.
• Partner with QA/QC to ensure batch-to-batch consistency and adherence to product specifications.
• Manage R&D projects end-to-end, including documentation, SOPs, TDS (Technical Data Sheets), SDS (Safety Data Sheets), and technical reports.
• Lead, mentor, and train the R&D team, building technical capability and fostering a culture of innovation.
• Track industry trends, competitor products, and emerging raw materials/technologies to keep the company's product portfolio competitive.
• Support budgeting and planning for R&D projects, lab equipment, and raw material trials.

Required Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in pigment dispersion technology, including grinding & milling processes.
• Hands-on experience in color matching and shade development.
• Solid understanding of rheology control and resin chemistry.
• Working knowledge of PU, PVC, acrylic, epoxy & polyester systems.
• Proven experience formulating both water-based and solvent-based systems.
• Familiarity with adhesives and specialty coatings formulation.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Number of new products successfully commercialized.
• Number and success rate of scale-up projects from lab to production.
• Cost reduction achieved through formulation and process improvements.
• Customer complaint resolution turnaround and effectiveness.
• Batch-to-batch consistency and adherence to specifications.
• On-time completion of R&D projects.
• Improvements in manufacturing efficiency driven by R&D initiatives.