Senior Researcher (m/w/d), Basic Research and Technology Development

Who we are:
Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment.  As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation and treating each other with trust and respect.

The role:

Key resposibilities include:

• Examination of fundamental properties of hair fibres, including physical testing, chemical and spectroscopic analysis.
• Development and validation of new technologies in the Hair Care field, along with preparation of materials for protecting inventions/enabling successful patent applications and contributing to peer-reviewed publications.

.The Senior Researcher (m/w/d) should provide technical mentoring to colleagues, along with selective personnel responsibilities in technical areas, and support/represent line manager as necessary.

This is a permanent, full-time position based in Darmstadt.

What you will do:

• Laboratory experiments for evaluating new technologies (ideas from internal/external sources and KAO Research)
• Laboratory experiments for understanding hair properties, including the testing of hair fibres physically, chemically or spectroscopically, for investigation of the effects of, e.g., damage on hair properties, and establishing/integration of new methods for hair analysis where appropriate
• Documentation of research findings, including preparation of presentation materials, scientific publications, plus preparation of materials for education in scientific topics, Standard Operating Procedures, etc
• Applying for patents to safeguard research findings; assisting the Patent department with patent registration and generation of data to support patent applications at each stage
• Provision of scientific coaching to colleagues to help reach individual project targets

What you will need:

• Degree or higher in natural science (preferable PhD), with strong Organic and Physical Chemistry knowledge and experience in analysis of Soft Matter (e.g., emulsions, polymers) via Light/Neutron/X-Ray Scattering techniques.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills
• Excellent collaboration and communicational skills, particularly at high scientific level
• Highly self-motivated
• Ability to work independently
• Fluent in English (oral and written)
• Excellent presentation skills, communication and proactive working style are a plus.
• Strong collaborative skills (both internally and externally with cooperation partners) desirable
• Good understanding of hair properties and structure and Hair Care products
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• High engagement and self-driven motivation
• Ability to work independently
• Highly motivated and committed to research goals over the long-term
• Attention to detail and keen observational skills

How we work: Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 18 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can actively shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.
What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with competitive salaries, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and innovation.
Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community. 
Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit https://www.kao.com/emea/en/