Product Development Scientist

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking a Product Development Scientist for our First Quality Baby Products facility located in Macon, GA.

The purpose of this job is to create, develop, and implement new and proprietary designs of absorbent-related product systems based upon business, customer, and consumer needs as well as provide support for the needs of present product systems to assure competitive performance and value.

Responsibilities include:

• Participate as a member of the Product Development team; execute projects in timely, diligent, safe, and professional manner, and contribute to the growth of the team and department.
• Design new products and product improvements to meet business and consumer needs.
• Develop new and improved materials and technologies with suppliers, and ensure all new raw materials obtain proper safety testing and clearance.
• Use basic Design of Experiments (DOE) techniques to develop experimental plans.
• Support the existing business product cost improvements through product redesigns.
• Provide technical support to reduce consumer complaints.
• Support corporate proprietary technology by documenting and patenting novel ideas.
• Develop new test methods to better predict and understand product performance in use.
• Work with more senior scientist or manager to help set project objectives.
• Coach and develop indirect reports to enhance team performance towards department objectives.

Education and experience requirements include:

• Four year technical degree (e.g. Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering) or equivalent; additional business studies preferred.
• 3+ years in R&D inventing, developing and implementing new products.
• Knowledge of and experience with developing product systems for the retail market, preferably hygiene products
• Knowledge of materials used in retail absorbent products (e.g. pulp, super absorbent polymers, nonwovens).
• Working knowledge of consumer product converting technologies for pulp, paper and nonwoven materials.
• Experience with the process of searching, evaluating and filing patents.
• Experience providing direction for the physical testing of hypotheses, resulting in specific conclusions and recommendations.
• Able to speak, read and write the English language and have strong oral and written communication skills.
• Good analytical skills, with working knowledge of basic statistics.
• Good computer skills in Microsoft Office program.
• Able to travel ~20-30% to US and International for product and process trials.

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (year's worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!