Staff Scientist – Peracetic Acid (PAA) Formulation

Solenis is a leading global provider of water and hygiene solutions. The companys product portfolio includes a broad array of water treatment chemistries process aids functional additives cleaners disinfectants and state-of-the-art monitoring control and delivery systems. These technologies are used by customers to improve operational efficiencies enhance product quality protect plant assets minimize environmental impact and create cleaner and safer environments. Headquartered in Wilmington Delaware the company has 78 manufacturing facilities strategically located around the globe and employs a team of over 23000 professionals in >160 countries across six continents. Solenis is a 2025 Best Managed Company Gold Standard honoree.

For additional information about Solenis please visit or follow us on social media.

Perks of working with us!

• Competitive health wellness benefit plan

• Continuous professional development with many opportunities for growth!

• Recharge with 15 days of paid time off

• Competitive Salary and Bonuses

• 401k Plan

Position Summary

The Staff Scientist Peracetic Acid (PAA) Formulation & Optimization is a senior technical contributor responsible for the development optimization and commercialization support of peracetic acidbased formulations across multiple end-use applications. This role focuses on innovation improving formulation performance stability safety cost and regulatory compliance while supporting scale-up manufacturing and customer implementation.

The position requires deep expertise in oxidative chemistry formulation science and applied problem-solving with close collaboration across R&D Regulatory EHS Manufacturing Supply Chain and Commercial teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead formulation design optimization and troubleshooting of peracetic acid and other direct food contact products including sanitizers disinfectants antimicrobial process aids and specialty oxidizing formulations

• Optimize PAA formulations for performance manufacturability stability shelf life material compatibility and controlled reactivity

• Evaluate raw materials (acids peroxides stabilizers chelants surfactants) for performance cost supply robustness and regulatory acceptability

• Design and execute laboratory experiments to assess kinetics equilibrium degradation pathways and performance under real-world use conditions

• Provide expert guidance on formulation limits driven by chemistry physics equipment and safety constraints

• Support pilot- and plant-scale trials including technology transfer to manufacturing.

• Troubleshoot manufacturing issues related to PAA generation stability heat release compatibility and dosing accuracy

• Partner with Process Technology and Operations to define safe operating windows equipment requirements and process controls

• Support customer trials field evaluations and issue resolution for PAA-based systems

• Collaborate with EHS and Regulatory teams to ensure formulations meet global regulatory labeling transport and safety requirements

• Support hazard evaluations thermal stability assessments and safe handling guidance for PAA and related oxidizers

• Drive formulation improvements to reduce cost improve supply resilience and enable value-engineering opportunities

• Support cost modeling raw material qualification and alternate supplier evaluations

• Act as a subject-matter expert in peracetic acid chemistry across R&D and commercial teams

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Chemistry Chemical Engineering or a related scientific discipline

• Minimum 710 years of industrial experience in formulation chemistry with significant hands-on experience in peracetic acid or peroxide-based systems

• Strong understanding of oxidation chemistry reaction kinetics stability mechanisms and formulation interactions

• Experience supporting scale-up manufacturing and commercialization of chemical formulations

• Demonstrated ability to solve complex real-world formulation and process challenges

• Experience with PAA systems in food & beverage or industrial processing

• Familiarity with antimicrobial regulatory frameworks (e.g. EPA FDA USDA biocides)

• Experience with dosing dispensing or on-site generation systems

• Ability to travel 10-15% to manufacturing sites suppliers or customer locations

We understand that candidates will not meet every single desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what weve identified and you think you can bring value to the role wed love to learn more about you.

At Solenis we understand that our greatest asset is our people. That is why we offer competitive compensation comprehensive benefits which include medical dental vision & 401K and numerous opportunities for professional growth and development. So if you are interested in working for a world-class company and enjoy solving complex challenges whether in the lab or the field consider joining our team.

Solenis is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer including Minorities / Women/ Veterans / qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Should you require assistance in applying to this opportunity please reach out to Solenis Talent Acquisition at