Senior Coatings Formulation Scientist

Notpla Limited; City of London; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A sustainable packaging innovator is seeking a Senior Coatings Formulation Scientist to develop and optimize seaweed-based coatings. The role involves leading formulation strategies and collaborating with engineering teams to address material challenges. Competitive compensation includes EMI share options and a vibrant, hybrid work environment. This position is ideal for someone passionate about sustainability and innovative research.

Benefits

EMI Share Options

Zero-carbon pension scheme

Discounts with local businesses

Subsidised social activities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in coatings formulation.
• Proficient in polymer chemistry and material science.
• Experience with scientific publications and patent filings.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation strategy for alginate and natural polymer coatings.
• Evaluate coating technologies and raw materials for performance and sustainability.
• Conduct root-cause analyses for coating defects.

Skills

Formulation strategy expertise

Understanding of barrier properties

Analytical skills

Collaboration

Technical writing

Education

Degree in Chemistry or related field

Tools

Laboratory equipment

Coating application methods

Job description

The Role

At Notpla, we’re at the forefront of sustainable innovation, creating natural alternatives to single-use plastic packaging that are carefully engineered to help build a healthier planet. Founded on the belief that nature knows best, we’re an innovative, action-oriented scale-up developing and manufacturing uncompromisingly natural packaging solutions from seaweed and plants.

As a Senior Coatings Formulation Scientist, you will play a critical role in developing and optimising seaweed-based formulations, ensuring they meet performance requirements and can be successfully scaled up for commercial use. The Senior Coatings Formulation Scientist will work closely with our Paper and Coatings Engineers, collaborating on research, formulation, and process improvements. This is an exciting opportunity to drive impactful R&D work for commercial projects.

This is an exciting time to join Notpla — we’re on the brink of a record-breaking year for revenue and on track for major growth in the next 18–24 months. To support this, we have just secured a £20 million Series A+ fundraise, enabling us to scale our growth and environmental impact faster than ever.

Beyond offering meaningful roles and a vibrant working environment, Notpla provides competitive compensation, including EMI Share Options, a zero-carbon pension scheme, discounts with local businesses, and subsidised social activities. Our office-first hybrid working policy lets you work in the way that maximises your productivity while maintaining a dynamic and collaborative atmosphere. We’re a social business with regular clubs and events, and we’re proud of how our diverse, mission-driven community works together to make plastic disappear.

Led by strong values, all Notpla employees are encouraged to take ownership of their domain, enjoying a high degree of autonomy. Our aim is to build an inspiring culture reflected in our working policies, environment, and people.

As a Senior Coatings Formulation Scientist, you will lead formulation strategy for alginate- and natural polymer–based coatings, setting the technical roadmap for performance improvement and scalability. Your work will be highly hands-on and collaborative, engaging with cross-disciplinary teams and international partners. You’ll tackle complex materials challenges, coordinate trials, scout novel natural polymer opportunities, and engage with a network of scientific experts and labs to bring innovation to life.

Key Responsibilities

• Define critical-to-quality attributes and performance specifications for coating systems across multiple substrate types.
• Evaluate and select coating technologies and raw materials aligned with commercial and sustainability goals.
• Contribute to patent filings, scientific publications, and the protection of company know-how.
• Design and optimise multi-component coating systems, balancing barrier, mechanical, and quality requirements.
• Identify and integrate novel raw materials to enhance performance and sustainability.
• Investigate substrate–coating interactions (porosity, sizing, surface energy, calendering, etc.) to tailor formulations for specific paperboard types.
• Develop robust structure–property–process relationships to predict coating behaviour across application methods.
• Conduct root-cause analyses of coating defects or process inconsistencies.
• Develop and validate analytical test methods to ensure consistency and reproducibility in formulation performance.
• Assess rheology, barrier properties, and mechanical performance of coatings and substrates.
• Interpret data and provide insights to refine formulations based on performance outcomes.
• Lead experimental work and trials across coating methods, including curtain, blade, rod, flexo, and reverse gravure.
• Define key rheological, surface tension, and drying parameters to ensure smooth application and defect-free coatings.
• Partner with equipment suppliers and pilot facilities to optimise coating lines for alginate-based systems.
• Translate lab learnings into pilot- and full-scale production parameters, establishing process windows and control strategies.
• Own the technical interface between R&D and manufacturing partners during technology transfer.
• Develop scale-up protocols, validate reproducibility, and ensure coating performance stability across scales.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts during pilot or production runs, applying data-driven problem-solving to identify root causes.
• Build and maintain databases of process–performance correlations to guide future developments.
• Mentor and train junior formulation scientists, sharing best practices in experimental design, data analysis, and technical writing.
• Establish formulation and testing standards, ensuring consistency and reproducibility across R&D projects.
• Champion good documentation, data integrity, and safety practices in the lab.
• Act as the technical lead in discussions with external partners, customers, and suppliers regarding coating performance and processability.
• Provide scientific insight to support commercial teams in customer trials and technical presentations.
• Collaborate with the Impact Team to ensure all formulations meet environmental and regulatory standards.
• Develop and maintain project timelines, coordinating with internal teams and external partners to ensure smooth execution.
• Communicate project progress effectively with internal stakeholders, providing clear updates and risk assessments.
• Ensure formulations meet regulatory and industrial standards, documenting all formulation parameters and testing results.
• Maintain detailed formulation records, creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure reproducibility.

Salary

£42,000 - £50,000 + EMI Share Options