Senior Materials & Product Development Scientist

At Altro, we're a leading British manufacturer of premium flooring and wall cladding systems, trusted worldwide for over 100 years. We're passionate about creating innovative products that improve safety, wellbeing and performance in the built environment.

We're looking for an experienced Materials or Product Development Scientist to join our European Product Development team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a background in chemistry, materials science, polymer science or chemical engineering to play a key role in developing and improving products used across healthcare, education, transport and commercial environments.

This is a full time, permanent role with hybrid working (3 days a week in our Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire HQ, with occasional travel to Dessau, Germany)

What you'll be doing

• Leading technical investigations and solving complex product, material and process challenges. 
• Supporting the development and improvement of flooring and walling products. 
• Applying expertise in formulation, materials selection, testing and analysis to drive product performance. 
• Planning, conducting and interpreting laboratory, pilot and production-scale trials. 
• Working closely with Manufacturing, Quality, Sustainability, Regulatory Affairs, Procurement and Product Management teams.
• Supporting projects focused on durability, cleanability, safety, sustainability and manufacturability. =
• Producing clear technical reports and recommendations to support product development decisions.

As well as an exciting opportunity and a competitive salary, what do we have offer?

• Holiday entitlement starts at 25 days (pro rata); if you need a little extra... you can buy some more
• A defined contribution pension scheme available for all staff
• Hopefully never needed, but from day one you will be covered by our life assurance scheme
• Occupational Sick Pay and an onsite Occupational Health Service
• Confidential 24-hour life management and personal support service for you and your family
• Free eye tests are available for all employees
• A paid day off each year to take part in our volunteering scheme
• Don’t worry about getting parked...we have free car parking at all our sites
• We offer long service awards to all our employees
• Learning and Development - training and development support, no matter where you are in your career
• A variety of social events across the group, including the company Christmas party.
• It might be a long way off but we know it’s not always easy to stop working so we provide advice and support to ease the transition to retirement.

So who are Altro?

A leading European manufacturer and supplier of premium flooring and wall cladding systems for Healthcare, construction and transport. We have been going strong since 1919. Family owned and run, we share family values; we care about you, each other and what we do.

What we are looking for...

Essential

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science or a similar scientific discipline. 
• Proven experience in a scientific, technical, formulation, materials, product development or process development role. 
• Experience within chemicals, coatings, polymers, plastics, adhesives, composites or related manufacturing environments. 
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with experience applying scientific knowledge to real-world manufacturing challenges. 
• Experience planning and interpreting laboratory or product performance testing.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively. 

Desirable

• Experience within flooring, walling, construction products or surface technologies.
• Knowledge of PVC, coatings, films, sheets, extrusion, lamination or calendering processes. 
• Experience with sustainability-led development, reformulation projects or recycled materials.
• Familiarity with StageGate or similar product development processes. 

Everyone is welcome at Altro for who they are, no matter what their background is or how they identify.  We appreciate that everyone is different and with that diverse uniqueness we can all thrive.  “We don’t want you to just work here.  We want you to belong here.”

If you have the relevant experience and you’re ready for a new challenge, click apply today! We can't wait to hear from you.