**Kelly Scientific** is actively recruiting for a **Chemist** in **Bay City, MI** . The Chemist position will focus on the development of new formulated products and the improvement of existing products. This includes formulation work, raw material selection, and complete characterization required for the development of epoxy products.
**This is a 6-month contract to hire opportunity**
**Work schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 5 PM**
**Pay rate: $26.44/hr.**
Why Should You Apply?
Work for a stable, growing company celebrating 53 years in business.
+ Business family. We care for each other and are a strong team. Join the team!
+ Well-built benefits package that is highly competitive within our industry.
+ Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) allows employees to be truly invested in our company as employee-owners.
+ International company that holds the position of first and best in our industry.
+ Manufacture the finest products under the demanding quality of the ISO9001:2015 standard.
+ Employees enjoy quarterly paid profit sharing as well as an annual merit-based bonus and an automatic contribution 401K program in addition to annual Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) contributions.
+ Paid medical benefits through Blue Cross Blue Shield, as well as short-term disability and term life insurance.
+ Offer two weeks' vacation (to start!), a sabbatical of two weeks every third year (in addition to vacation), flexible HEALTH and PTO leave as well as an average of 10-12 paid holidays a year.
**SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES**
+ Research new technologies that apply to product development. Maintains awareness of advancements in technology and advises the company as to impact and relevance.
+ Provides customer support of chemistry & performance issues to Technical Service Staff.
+ Develops and approves specifications & quality control limits of all raw materials that will be used in the manufacturing of all new epoxy products.
+ Documents specification in ERP software. Provides reports and documents detailing project processes, results, and conclusions; recommends additional actions or research.
+ Performs formulation work required to develop new products and reformulation of existing products. Provides feedback, test results, and data regarding the formulation process and recommends modifications to formulas.
+ Evaluates and approves raw material offsets selected by Senior Chemistry Manager.
+ Responsible for SNR and IAR formulation and processing improvement tasks as assigned by the Senior Chemistry Manager.
+ Responsible for Customer Support projects assigned by Senior Chemistry Manager.
+ Maintain a lab book and related databases as a means of documenting and providing a written record of testing procedures and observations.
+ Makes an effort to be involved with Technical Department supply chain issues to understand historical perspectives and decision-making process.
+ Approves all epoxy product test data used for customer service& product development.
+ Serves as a team member for projects and provides professional technical support to product development, quality control, manufacturing processes, and technical customer service.
**GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES**
+ Continually learn more about the product and those application techniques, methods and processes that meet the needs of prospective end-users.
+ Strive to maintain conversance with the product's physical properties, chemical composition, manufacturing considerations, difficulties, and costs.
+ Maintain a close working relationship with all company departments and their members.
+ Demonstrate and promote the concept and advantages of being internally cooperative while externally competitive.
+ Actively support all Company policies, with special attention to safety, health, personal bias, and poor conduct issues.
+ Participate and fully support the Quality System and any other activities necessary to support the management and effective functioning of the company.
+ Attend and participate in all Company-wide meetings, lectures, and annual social events.
**SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS**
+ Bachelor's Degree in Science from an accredited college or university in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry with an understanding of polymer structure/property relationships to translate fundamental properties to structural resin performance attributes
+ The ability to use and maintain complex laboratory and other analytical instruments.
+ The ability to manage multiple projects at the same time.
+ 3+ years of related experience
**GENERAL REQUIREMENTS**
+ A record of success reflecting consistent improvement, completion of assignments and obtainment of goals.
+ The ability to work with others, to be convincing and yet hold ideas and conclusions generously.
+ The skills and knowledge to keep all lines of communication open within the Technical Department and throughout the company.
+ The ability to work with other employees, understanding when to take charge and when to support or abstain.
+ The ability to communicate effectively with fellow employees, vendors, and potential customers, by speaking and writing standard American English.
+ The ability to use computer writing, spreadsheet, database, and ERP programs while being conversant with current computer capabilities.
+ A good understanding of mathematical, record-keeping writing formats.
+ The senses of sight, touch, hearing, and the ability to speak are required.
+ Walking is required within the office, production, and storage areas. In addition, this position requires turning the head and torso, reaching, grasping, bending, and flexing the arms, legs, wrists, and fingers. The requirements may include lifting heavy boxes or objects of thirty pounds or more.
**WORKING CONDITIONS**
+ The physical requirements will vary widely depending upon whether each day's activities require this position to be at the Corporate Office and Manufacturing Location or in the Field attending customer meetings, lectures, or trade conventions.
+ When working in the Corporate Office and Manufacturing Location the environment will have temperatures and noise levels controlled. Some time may be spent in the laboratory, production, and warehousing areas where temperatures and sound levels may vary. All areas of the company will be smoke-free.
+ The normal workday at the Corporate Office is 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. However, the hours may be longer, and days extended when participating in meetings, special projects, or fieldwork. This is a key position and may require attending scheduled meetings outside of normal working hours.
**You should know:** Your safety matters! Vaccination against COVID-19 may be a requirement for this job in compliance with current client and governmental policies. A Kelly recruiter will confirm and share more details with you during the interview process.
**Why Kelly** ** ** **Science & Clinical?**
Kelly Science & Clinical is your connection to premier scientific and clinical companies looking to hire industry experts just like you. Our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world's most critical challenges. Every day, we match science professionals with dream jobs that fit their skills, interests, and career goals-it's the way we think job searching should be. Nearly 100 percent of our science recruiters have a professional background and education in science, so we know a thing or two about the science market and how to get your expertise noticed.
**About Kelly** ** **
At Kelly, we're always thinking about what's next and advising job seekers on new ways of working to reach their full potential. In fact, we're a leading advocate for temporary/nontraditional workstyles, because we believe they allow flexibility and tremendous growth opportunities that enable a better way to work and live (plus, did we mention we provide a ton of benefits ?). Connecting great people with great companies is what we do best, and our employment opportunities span a wide variety of workstyles, skill levels, and industries around the world.
Kelly Services is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We welcome, value, and embrace diversity at all levels and are committed to building a team that is inclusive of a variety of backgrounds, communities, perspectives, and abilities. At Kelly, we believe that the more inclusive we are, the better services we can provide. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to Kelly's Human Resource Knowledge Center.
Kelly complies with the requirements of California's state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment.
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How to hire a contract chemist
Contract chemist hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring contract chemists in the United States:
- In the United States, the median cost per hire a contract chemist is $1,633.
- It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
- Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
- On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new contract chemist to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.
How to hire a contract chemist, step by step
To hire a contract chemist, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a contract chemist:
Here's a step-by-step contract chemist hiring guide:
- Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
- Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
- Step 3: Make a budget
- Step 4: Write a contract chemist job description
- Step 5: Post your job
- Step 6: Interview candidates
- Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new contract chemist
- Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
Post a contract chemist job for free, promote it for a fee
Identify your hiring needs
First, determine the employments status of the contract chemist you need to hire. Certain contract chemist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.
Determine employee vs contractor statusIs the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a contract chemist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a contract chemist that fits the bill.
This list presents contract chemist salaries for various positions.
Type of Contract Chemist Description Hourly rate Contract Chemist Chemists and materials scientists study substances at the atomic and molecular levels and the ways in which the substances interact with one another. They use their knowledge to develop new and improved products and to test the quality of manufactured goods. $21-48 Chemist, Development A development chemist is responsible for delivering products that are specially created for a customer. You will be responsible for conducting qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses for process or quality control... Show more $22-52 Research And Development Chemist A research and development chemist primarily works at laboratories to conduct extensive tests and experiments aiming to develop new products and technologies. Although the extent of their duties may vary, it typically revolves around conducting research and studies, observing chemical reactions, maintaining records and databases, collaborating with fellow experts, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing components or mixtures... Show more $25-54 Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:- Laboratory Equipment
- Method Development
- R
- Analytical Data
- HPLC
- Ms
- UV/Vis
- GC
- GMP
- FDA
- Wet Chemistry
- Lab Notebook
- Titration
- Sample Preparation
Responsibilities:- Lead QA, engineering, and operations training events.
- Develop HPLC methods for the analysis of drugs and relate substances in a GMP environment.
- Analyze polymer materials using ASTM methods.
- Review routine and validation projects under GMP guidelines.
- Blend specialty carrier gases, complete GMP and safety checklists.
- Log in samples into LIMS and generate reports for customers.
Make a budget
Including a salary range in your contract chemist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A contract chemist can vary based on:
- Location. For example, contract chemists' average salary in south dakota is 50% less than in delaware.
- Seniority. Entry-level contract chemists 56% less than senior-level contract chemists.
- Certifications. A contract chemist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
- Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a contract chemist's salary.
Average contract chemist salary
$67,064yearly
$32.24 hourly rateEntry-level contract chemist salary$44,000 yearly salaryUpdated December 20, 2025Writing a contract chemist job description
A contract chemist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a contract chemist job description:
Contract chemist job description example
Post your job
To find the right contract chemist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with contract chemists they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit contract chemists who meet your education requirements.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
- Post your contract chemist job on Zippia to find and recruit contract chemist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting contract chemists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new contract chemist
Once you've decided on a perfect contract chemist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.
It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new contract chemist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a contract chemist?
Recruiting contract chemists involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.
You can expect to pay around $67,064 per year for a contract chemist, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for contract chemists in the US typically range between $21 and $48 an hour.
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Updated December 20, 2025