James Hardie Building Products Inc. is the North American leader in fiber cement home siding and exterior design solutions. Hardie® products offer long lasting beauty and endless design possibilities with trusted protection and low maintenance. The company pioneered modern fiber cement building products and continues to invest in innovation to transform the industry. James Hardie is a high-performance organization, with an unwavering commitment to Zero Harm. The company proudly employs a diverse workforce of over 3,000 employees across operations in North America.

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Onsite from the Fontana, CA Research & Development Facility

The Research Scientist will work on technology development projects that enable the delivery of future products for the business. This role will be responsible for furthering our fundamental understanding of how process design/parameter, formulation, and product design affect surface aesthetics and the establishment of process operating windows, based on this understanding. The right candidate will be capable of developing lab and pilot scale experiments to simulate factory process, building and validating models to predict surface quality, and providing technical inputs for new surface designs.

What You’ll Do:

• Identify root causes, prove fundamental mechanisms, and develop solutions for challenges in fiber cement surface aesthetics and durability encountered during surfaces technology platform development.
• Design and conduct lab and/or pilot scale experiments to test hypotheses.
• Develop predictive models and validate predictive models through factory trials as guidance for future design.
• Build process operation windows for key design attributes.
• Conduct durability test on fiber cement materials.
• Perform rheological and mechanical testing on cured/uncured green pastes and cured/uncured fiber cement testing materials, gain knowledge on the correlation between paste property and texture forming capability.
• Collaborate with global teams to standardize new test methods to ensure best practice sharing.
• Follow company procedure to file IDF and patent application for IP protection.
• Actively participate in innovation sessions and workshops aimed at honing innovation skills and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Ensure that James Hardie’s operations are in line with Work Health and Safety Requirements at all times.
• Report any incidents, hazards, near misses or “at-risk” behaviours in a timely fashion.
• Comply with any reasonable request related to health and safety including attending health and safety related training, participating in health and safety initiatives / activities and ensuring that either your acts or omissions do not place any person at risk.
• Providing supervision and training to others to allow them to perform their work safely.
• Responding to any hazard or incident that is raised by another James Hardie team member and provide or seek the support required to allow them to work safely and respond to the identified workplace issue.
• The position responsibilities outlined above are in no way to be construed as all encompassing. Other duties, responsibilities and qualifications may be required and/or assigned, as necessary.

The position responsibilities outlined above are in no way to be construed as all encompassing. Other duties, responsibilities, and qualifications may be required and/or assigned as necessary.

What You’ll Bring:

• Solid background in composite materials manufacturing and characterization.
• Prior experience in fiber cement products is desirable.
• Ability to use scientific principles to simplify and solve complicated process problems.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills with a strong analytical mindset for effective troubleshooting and process optimization.
• Familiarity with statistics and data analytics preferred.
• Self-motivated with a demonstrated sense of urgency, resourcefulness, and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.
• Ph.D in Materials Science & Engineering or Chemical Engineering preferred
• Masters degree in Materials Science & Engineering or Chemical Engineering required.
• Demonstrated success in Research & Development, Innovation, and Industrial research, preferably with 3+ years of experience.
• Preference for candidates with experience in mathematical modeling.
• Ideally familiar with materials microstructure analysis, rheological and mechanical property testing.

What You’ll Receive:

At James Hardie, we recognize that our success depends on our people. We've worked hard to build a generous and competitive benefits program that demonstrates our commitment to our employees.

• Comprehensive low-cost co-pay Health Insurance; medical, dental, prescription, and vision insurance benefits for every 30+ hour full-time employee. Insurance starts on day one!
• 401(k) Retirement plan that will match 100% of employees saved dollars up to the first 6% of your salary
• Paid holidays, paid vacation including Jury Duty and bereavement leave
• Wellness Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Parental Leave
• Community Involvement & Sustainable Solutions - Fire Resistant Siding to Help Rebuild the Grizzly Flats Community | James Hardie
• And more

The expected compensation range for this position is between $80K and $100K. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience, market conditions, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This position qualifies for benefits which may also include a discretionary bonus.

Apply now and come “home” to Hardie!

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James Hardie Building Products Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, veteran's status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, or any other basis protected by law.