Innospec, a leading global specialty chemicals company, is seeking an experienced Agricultural Scientist — specifically a Formulations Scientist — to join its lean, fast-paced, and highly technical agrochemical team based in Salisbury, North Carolina. This full-time role is at the forefront of agrochemical formulation additive science, working directly with customers, global market trends, and novel R&D concepts to develop and commercialize cutting-edge pesticide and agrochemical formulations. The position reports to the Global Technical Director for Agrochemical — offering unmatched technical exposure and career growth within a specialist global science team dedicated to advancing the future of agrochemical innovation.
About Innospec — Global Specialty Chemicals Leader
Global Reach: Innospec is a leading global specialty chemicals company developing and commercializing high-performance chemical additives and formulations
Agrochemical Division: Dedicated agrochemical formulation additives team developing innovative solutions for pesticide and crop protection markets worldwide
Team Culture: Lean, fast-paced, highly technical team environment where individual expertise directly shapes product innovation and commercial success
Reporting: This role reports directly to the Global Technical Director for Agrochemical — giving unparalleled technical mentorship and global exposure
Innovation Focus: Formulation demands driven by customers, global market trends, and novel concepts developed through Innospec’s in-house R&D pipeline
Customer Engagement: Direct customer-facing technical role with domestic travel, industry events, and active collaboration with global agrochemical clients
Salisbury, NC — Innospec Agrochemical Technical Hub
Location: Salisbury, North Carolina — a growing science and manufacturing community in the Charlotte metro region
Facility: Salisbury-based formulation laboratory and pilot scale production facility for agrochemical formulation development
Residency: Position is permanently located in Salisbury, NC — candidates must be based in or willing to relocate to the Salisbury area
Travel: Up to 10% domestic travel for customer visits, technical support, and industry events
Agrochemical Formulation Categories — Technical Scope
Required Expertise: Hands-on formulation development and characterization across a wide range of pesticide formulation types:
EC — Emulsifiable ConcentrateSC — Suspension ConcentrateME — Micro-EmulsionSL — Soluble LiquidSE — Suspo-EmulsionOD — Oil DispersionCS — Capsule SuspensionWP — Wettable PowderWG — Water Dispersible Granule
Also Desired: Biologicals, seed treatment formulations, adjuvants, fertilizer, and micronutrient formulation experience
Position Overview
The Agricultural Scientist — formally titled Formulations Scientist — at Innospec is one of the most technically rich and commercially impactful agrochemical science roles available in North Carolina in 2026. As the primary technical engine of Innospec’s Salisbury agrochemical team, you will develop and characterize new agrochemical formulation additives, work directly with customers to solve real-world application challenges, support scale-up from laboratory to commercial production, and represent Innospec’s technical expertise at industry conferences and customer sites across the United States.
This is a genuine bench science role. The Agricultural Scientist at Innospec does not spend their career in meetings — you will be in the laboratory every day, running formulation experiments, applying CIPAC test methods, evaluating surfactant systems, testing stability profiles, and generating the performance data that proves Innospec’s agrochemical formulation additives deliver real commercial value to customers around the world. Your formulation expertise across EC, SC, ME, SL, SE, OD, CS, WP, and WG formulation categories — combined with your working knowledge of surfactant science, emulsion chemistry, dispersion technology, and pesticide physical chemistry — will be the foundation of everything you do in this role.
Beyond the laboratory, the Agricultural Scientist at Innospec is also a trusted customer-facing technical expert. You will visit agrochemical customers across the USA, attend and represent Innospec at industry technical events, answer customer technical inquiries, and collaborate directly with Innospec’s sales, production, and global R&D teams to define, develop, and commercialize new products that successfully meet evolving customer and market demands for performance, regulatory compliance, and economic viability. If you are an agrochemical formulation scientist with a passion for rigorous laboratory science, deep pesticide formulation expertise, and the interpersonal skills to translate technical knowledge into real customer value — this Salisbury, NC role is your career opportunity.
Why This Role Matters: As an Agricultural Scientist at Innospec Salisbury NC, you develop next-generation agrochemical formulation additives that improve pesticide performance for customers worldwide, work in a lean, highly technical team that gives you direct access to the Global Technical Director and real formulation ownership from day one, cover the full range of pesticide formulation categories — EC, SC, ME, WP, WG, biologicals, seed treatment, and adjuvants — benefiting from a comprehensive package including medical, 401k, dental, vision, paid maternity and paternity leave, and disability insurance.
Key Responsibilities
Formulation Development & Laboratory Science
- Lead hands-on agrochemical formulation development in the Salisbury laboratory — designing, developing, and characterizing new pesticide formulation additives across EC, SC, ME, SL, SE, OD, CS, WP, and WG formulation types covering concentrates, dispersions, and emulsion systems
- Perform comprehensive application tests on new and existing formulation additive candidates — generating performance, stability, and physical property data to support commercialization decisions
- Apply CIPAC test methods correctly and consistently throughout all formulation characterization and performance evaluation activities — ensuring data quality and regulatory relevance of all analytical results
- Develop commercially viable formulation additive solutions that successfully meet customer and market demands for performance, economic competitiveness, and regulatory compliance in global agrochemical markets
Formula Scale-Up & Production Support
- Provide expert formula scale-up recommendations for successful transition of laboratory formulations to pilot-scale and commercial-scale production — anticipating and addressing scale-dependent formulation challenges
- Produce R&D samples on both laboratory and pilot scale — ensuring scale-up samples meet quality specifications and deliver consistent performance matching laboratory development data
- Work collaboratively with Innospec’s production teams to define new product specifications, manufacturing process requirements, and quality control parameters for commercial-scale agrochemical formulation production
- Support technology transfer processes between laboratory development and commercial manufacturing — providing technical guidance and documentation that enables reliable, repeatable production outcomes
Raw Material Research & New Product Development
- Research new developments in agrochemical raw materials, surfactant systems, and formulation technology to identify novel ingredients and concepts that address emerging customer and market demands
- Evaluate new surfactants, emulsifiers, dispersants, wetting agents, and specialty additives for performance, compatibility, stability, and regulatory suitability in target formulation categories
- Apply understanding of surfactant science, formulation stability principles, wetting and penetration characteristics, and relevant physical chemistry to guide raw material selection and formulation design decisions
- Explore opportunities in biological formulation, seed treatment, adjuvant chemistry, fertilizer formulation, and micronutrient delivery as priority areas for new product development at Innospec
Customer Technical Support & Collaboration
- Provide direct technical assistance to Innospec agrochemical customers — answering product and application inquiries by phone, email, and in-person customer visits to resolve formulation challenges involving Innospec products
- Visit customers across the USA to promote Innospec agrochemical products, develop collaborative formulation development opportunities, and solve application technical issues in real-world customer environments
- Work closely with Innospec sales and customer teams to define and develop new product opportunities — translating customer formulation requirements into actionable laboratory development programs
- Represent Innospec at industry technical events, agrochemical conferences, and trade shows — communicating the company’s formulation technology expertise and building relationships across the global agrochemical industry
Laboratory Records, Data Management & Technical Reporting
- Maintain accurate, complete, and well-organized records of all day-to-day laboratory activities — ensuring that formulation development data, experimental observations, and test results are documented in real time
- Collect comprehensive analytical and performance data on Innospec’s existing agrochemical product portfolio — supporting ongoing quality monitoring and product performance benchmarking
- Issue detailed, professionally written technical reports within appropriate timeframes — communicating formulation development findings, customer support recommendations, and R&D conclusions clearly to internal and external stakeholders
- Keep laboratory operations organized, safe, and efficient — maintaining equipment functionality, chemical inventory accuracy, and compliance with all applicable laboratory safety and regulatory standards
Requirements & Qualifications
Educational Requirements
- Minimum Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related science discipline from an accredited university
- An advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a relevant field such as Agronomy, Plant Physiology, Agricultural Chemistry, or Formulation Science is a significant plus and will be given preferential consideration
Experience Requirements
- 3 to 5 years of hands-on experience in agricultural or consumer formulation science and applications — specifically within the pesticide, fertilizer, or adjuvant industry
- Proven, demonstrable hands-on experience in formulation development and characterization across a wide range of pesticide formulation categories — EC, SC, ME, SL, SE, OD, CS, WP, and WG are all required areas of competency
- Familiarity with the operation of common agrochemical formulation laboratory equipment and correct application of CIPAC (Collaborative International Pesticides Analytical Council) test methods
- Understanding and practical application knowledge of surfactant science, formulation stability, wetting, penetration, emulsification, and other key physical characteristics of agrochemical formulations
Desired Additional Experience
- Prior formulation experience in biological pesticide formulations, seed treatment products, agricultural adjuvants, fertilizer formulations, or micronutrient delivery systems is highly desired
- Experience in formulation regulatory compliance and familiarity with EPA pesticide registration requirements and global agrochemical regulatory frameworks is an advantage
- Previous customer-facing technical support experience in the agrochemical or specialty chemicals industry — comfortable communicating complex formulation science to non-technical audiences
Professional Attributes
- Very effective communicator — both written and oral — with the ability to produce detailed technical reports, respond to customer inquiries, and represent Innospec professionally at industry events
- Excellent team player — collaborative, flexible, and committed to the shared success of a lean, high-performance agrochemical science team in Salisbury, NC
- Self-motivated laboratory professional with strong personal organization, accurate record-keeping discipline, and genuine intellectual curiosity about agrochemical formulation science and technology
- Willingness to travel domestically up to 10% of time for customer visits, collaborative development projects, and industry technical event participation
Innospec Benefits Package
Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance coverage for Agricultural Scientist and eligible dependents
Dental & Vision: Full dental and vision insurance included in the benefits package
Retirement: 401(k) plan — company-supported retirement savings for long-term financial security
Paid Parental Leave: Paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave — supporting new parents in the Innospec team
Disability Insurance: Disability insurance coverage protecting Agricultural Scientist income security
Pension Plan: Additional pension plan providing long-term retirement financial planning support
About Innospec Agrochemical Excellence
Innospec is a globally recognized specialty chemicals company with a distinguished track record of developing and commercializing high-performance chemical additives and formulation solutions across multiple industries — with a particularly strong and technically sophisticated presence in the global agrochemical formulation additives market. Innospec’s agrochemical team in Salisbury, North Carolina operates as a lean, expert-driven technical hub that combines deep formulation science with direct customer engagement to deliver innovative additive solutions that genuinely improve pesticide performance for agrochemical formulators worldwide.
The Salisbury agrochemical team works directly with global customers and internal Innospec R&D to develop the next generation of formulation additives for the crop protection industry. From emulsifiable concentrates and suspension concentrates to water-dispersible granules, biological formulations, and seed treatment products, the Innospec Salisbury team covers the full spectrum of modern pesticide formulation technology — making it one of the most technically stimulating and career-enriching environments available to formulation scientists in the agrochemical industry today.
Your Career at Innospec: Joining Innospec as an Agricultural Scientist in Salisbury, NC means becoming part of a world-class specialty chemicals team where your formulation expertise, laboratory creativity, and customer-focused problem-solving will be valued and developed every day. With direct reporting to the Global Technical Director, a comprehensive benefits package including paid parental leave and 401k, and the opportunity to work across the full range of cutting-edge pesticide formulation categories, Innospec Salisbury offers an Agricultural Scientist career opportunity that is genuinely hard to match anywhere in North Carolina in 2026.
Who Should Apply?
- Agrochemical Formulation Scientists: With 3–5 years hands-on formulation development experience across EC, SC, ME, WP, WG, and other pesticide formulation categories in a commercial agrochemical environment
- Chemistry / Biochemistry Graduates: With BS or advanced degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related science discipline and agrochemical or pesticide industry formulation experience
- Biological Formulation Specialists: With experience in biological pesticide formulations, adjuvants, seed treatment products, or fertilizer formulation seeking to advance their career at a global specialty chemicals innovator
- Surfactant Science Professionals: With deep understanding of surfactant chemistry, emulsification, dispersion stability, and CIPAC test methodology in an agrochemical or related specialty chemicals context
- Customer-Facing Technical Scientists: Comfortable visiting agrochemical customers, providing technical application support, and representing their employer at industry conferences and trade events
- North Carolina Science Professionals: Based in or willing to relocate to Salisbury, NC — ready to join a high-caliber, fast-paced global agrochemical science team with direct global leadership exposure
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