Paper & Coating Engineer

The Role

At Notpla we’re at the leading edge of sustainable innovation, creating natural alternatives to single-use plastic packaging that’s carefully engineered to create a healthier planet. Founded on the belief that nature knows best, we’re an innovative, ideas and action-oriented scale-up who develop and manufacture uncompromisingly natural packaging solutions from seaweed and plants.

As a Paper & Coating Engineer, you’ll be joining an innovative, fast moving and agile Formulation & Process team that pride themselves on their pivotal research and development.

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

Led by strong values, all Notpla employees are encouraged to take responsibility for their domain, giving a high level of autonomy. Our aim is to build an inspiring culture that's reflected in our working policies, environment and employees.

We are seeking a highly skilled and proactive Paper & Coating Engineer with industry experience in paper and coatings to join our growing R&D team. This role is critical in developing and optimising seaweed-based formulations, ensuring they meet performance requirements and can be successfully scaled up for commercial use. The Paper & Coating Engineer will work closely with a formulation scientist and a process engineer, collaborating on research, formulation, and process improvements. This is an exciting opportunity to drive impactful R&D work for commercial projects.

Key Responsibilities

Formulation Development & Optimisation

• Design and optimise seaweed-based coatings and paper formulations, balancing key properties such as adhesion, flexibility, barrier performance, and biodegradability.

• Conduct rheology studies and material characterisation to fine-tune formulations for specific applications.

• Identify and integrate novel raw materials to enhance performance and sustainability.

• Work on material compatibility studies, ensuring formulations meet required industrial and regulatory standards.

• Develop prototype samples and conduct performance testing under real-world conditions.

Analytical Chemistry & Material Characterisation

• Develop and validate analytical test methods to ensure consistency and reproducibility in formulation performance.

• Assess film-forming properties, barrier properties, and mechanical performance of coatings and substrates.

• Interpret data and provide insights to refine formulations based on performance outcomes.

Scale-Up & Trials

• Work closely with the process engineer to transition lab-scale formulations into pilot-scale and commercial-scale production.

• Participate in pilot trials and factory production runs, ensuring formulations perform as expected in real-world conditions.

• Troubleshoot formulation issues that arise during scale-up, working collaboratively with cross-functional teams.

• Document all scale-up findings, optimising processes for efficiency and reproducibility.

Project Management

• Drive formulation work streams from concept to execution, ensuring key milestones are met on time.

• 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.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with the entire technical team, ensuring formulation strategies align with process capabilities.

• Translate complex scientific findings into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders.

Quality Assurance & Documentation

• 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.

• Work with quality teams to implement quality control measures in formulation testing and production.

External Partnership Building

• Identify and engage with external partners, such as material suppliers, labs, specialised contract manufacturers, and technology consultants, to fast-track scale-up activities.

• Coordinate and oversee development activities with partners to ensure project alignment and adherence to company standards.

Your profile

Qualifications & Experience

Education & Industry Background

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Polymer Science, Materials Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.

• 5+ years of industry experience in coatings, paper-based materials, or polymer formulation.

• Strong background in analytical chemistry and material characterization techniques.

Technical Skills

• Expertise in natural polymer coatings, surface treatments, and film-forming properties.

• Hands-on experience with natural polymer formulations (e.g., starches, proteins, cellulose, alginates).

• Knowledge of barrier coatings, adhesion technologies, and functional additives.

• Deep knowledge in coating processes and paper production.

Partnership & Communication Skills

• Ability to identify, establish, and manage external partnerships to accelerate scale-up activities and overcome resource constraints.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to collaborate effectively across internal teams and external stakeholders.

• Demonstrated capacity to represent the company in technical discussions with partners and stakeholders.

Salary