Lab Chemist

P&T Products | Sandusky, Ohio | Fully On-Site

This position is fully on-site at our manufacturing plant in Sandusky, Ohio. Remote and hybrid work are not available.

P&T Products is part of Pavement Maintenance Group (PMG), an industry leader in the production and distribution of pavement preservation and maintenance products. PMG continues to grow through innovation, operational excellence, and an entrepreneurial mindset, and we are seeking team members who can support the organization as it expands.

P&T Products reflects that same spirit. Our Sandusky plant is hands-on, process-driven, and detail-focused. We manufacture hot-applied, polymer-modified pavement materials, including crack and joint sealants used on roads, parking lots, runways, and other paved surfaces.

Our products combine materials such as asphaltic resins, synthetic polymers and rubbers, plasticizers, stabilizers, reinforcing fillers, and other performance additives. The laboratory evaluates how these formulations behave under real-world conditions, including their flow, viscosity, adhesion, flexibility, resiliency, softening behavior, and overall physical performance.

We are seeking a detail-oriented Lab Chemist who is interested in polymer chemistry, materials science, quality control, product testing, and hands-on R&D support. This role supports daily plant operations through physical testing of raw materials, in-process samples, and finished products.

This is not a traditional sterile, academic, pharmaceutical, or instrumentation-only laboratory. It is an industrial plant lab where materials may be hot, sticky, viscous, and messy. Success requires accuracy, consistency, curiosity, urgency, and comfort working closely with production.

What You Will Do

• Perform physical and materials testing according to established procedures and specifications
• Prepare, heat, pour, condition, and evaluate laboratory samples
• Test polymer-modified asphalt and pavement products for properties such as viscosity, penetration, softening point, resiliency, adhesion, ductility, flexibility, flow, settlement, and durability
• Support tensile, bond, impact, crack-bridging, moisture, aggregate, and related performance testing
• Assist with lab-scale formulation, batching, and experimental R&D trials
• Evaluate how changes in polymers, fillers, additives, temperature, and processing conditions affect finished-product performance
• Receive and test raw material, in-process, and finished-product samples
• Record results accurately in spreadsheets, databases, laboratory logs, and internal systems
• Review data for completeness, consistency, trends, discrepancies, and out-of-specification results
• Communicate testing results and potential quality concerns to the Lead Chemist and production team
• Support calibration checks, equipment maintenance, SOPs, documentation, and laboratory organization
• Participate in continuous improvement, root-cause investigation, quality assurance, and product development activities
• Maintain a clean and safe work area while following plant safety procedures and PPE requirements

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent laboratory experience
• Interest in polymer formulation, rheology, physical chemistry, materials characterization, quality control, or product development
• Hands-on laboratory, manufacturing, research, or quality experience preferred
• Familiarity with concepts such as viscosity, adhesion, tensile properties, thermal behavior, softening point, flow, flexibility, or structure-property relationships is helpful
• Ability to follow SOPs, test methods, specifications, and quality procedures consistently
• Strong attention to detail and comfort working with data, documentation, spreadsheets, and technical records
• Ability to recognize unusual material behavior or test results and ask appropriate questions
• Comfort performing repetitive but important testing while maintaining accuracy
• Willingness to work around heated materials, chemicals, production equipment, plant noise, fumes, and required PPE
• Curiosity, reliability, coachability, and a strong willingness to learn

Work Environment

This role is based inside an active industrial manufacturing plant. The laboratory directly supports production, so priorities can shift and turnaround times may be important. The work includes standing, handling materials, preparing samples, operating testing equipment, and lifting up to 50 pounds.

The ideal candidate enjoys practical science and wants to understand how formulation, processing, temperature, and material composition influence real finished-product performance.

Why PMG/P&T Products

• Fully on-site, hands-on laboratory role in Sandusky, Ohio
• Exposure to polymer chemistry, materials testing, physical characterization, quality control, and R&D
• Direct connection between laboratory results, manufacturing decisions, and product performance
• Opportunity to work closely with an experienced Lead Chemist
• Small, collaborative team with meaningful individual responsibility
• Structured training, clear expectations, and opportunities to build transferable technical skills
• Stable manufacturing environment with exposure to both established products and experimental formulations