The Hidden Hiring Crisis in Specialty Chemicals: Retirement vs. Replacement
For years, workforce conversations in specialty chemicals have centered around labor shortages, competition for talent, and evolving technical demands. Underneath all of those challenges is a deeper issue that many companies are only now beginning to fully feel: the growing gap between experienced professionals nearing retirement and the smaller pipeline of talent prepared to replace them.
The Hidden Hiring Crisis in Specialty Chemicals: Retirement vs. Replacement
For years, workforce conversations in specialty chemicals have centered around labor shortages, competition for talent, and evolving technical demands. Underneath all of those challenges is a deeper issue that many companies are only now beginning to fully feel: the growing gap between experienced professionals nearing retirement and the smaller pipeline of talent prepared to replace them.
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Hot Jobs!
Chief Commercial Officer
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Growing organization
- Highly technical commercial leader
- Company delivers complex chemistry solutions across diverse industries
- Customer engagement on sophisticated, high-value technical projects
- Contact Sylvia Moreira: (470) 334-0542 sylvia@boazpartners.com
Finance Director
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Growing organization
- Top Financial Management responsibility
- NE – hybrid arrangement
- Reports to the President
- Contact Sylvia Moreira: (470) 334-0542 sylvia@boazpartners.com
Director of Procurement
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Chemical Manufacturer
- Privately owned
- Reports to CFO, Highly visible role
- Domestic and International vendors
- Contact Josh Fowee: (470) 410-8220 josh@boazpartners.com
TPM Leader
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Chemical Manufacturer
- Privately owned
- CI and LEAN-focused environment
- Emphasis on Autonomous Maintenance and OEE
- Contact Josh Fowee: (470) 410-8220 josh@boazpartners.com
Plant Manager
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Lead all functional areas
- Industry segment leader
- 8 Years Experience in Chemical Manufacturing
- Chemical or Mechanical Engineering degree
- Midwest
- Contact Ricky Foster: (470) 705-0128 ricky@boazpartners.com
Plant Manager
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Resins Manufacturer
- 87-year-old smaller company
- Chemical Engineer preferred
- St. Louis, MO
- Contact Josh Fowee: (470) 410-8220 josh@boazpartners.com
Operations Manager
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Education: BS Chem Engineering or Mechanical with Chemical Processing experience
- 8-12 years of chemical manufacturing experience
- 3+ years in leadership roles
- Engineering AND Operations experience
- PSM, ISO9001 & 14001
- Strong leadership skills
- Demonstrated success training and developing teams
- Contact Ricky Foster: (470) 705-0128 ricky@boazpartners.com
Territory Sales Manager
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Privately owned chemical distributor
- 4 to 6 direct reports, key account management
- Solvents, CASE, & HI&I
- Regional Territory based out of Houston, TX
- Contact Josh Fowee: (470) 410-8220
josh@boazpartners.com
The summer hiring window is open.
Are you using it?
Chemicals America
Chemicals America is quickly approaching! Who will we see in Savannah?
Are you interested in learning about 2026 hiring trends? Do you have a role that has been hard to fill? Working on a succession plan? Reach out to Wes Washington and Jeff Bennett to set up a time to discuss talent in the industry.
Chemicals America is quickly approaching! Who will we see in Savannah?
Are you interested in learning about 2026 hiring trends? Do you have a role that has been hard to fill? Working on a succession plan? Reach out to Wes Washington and Jeff Bennett to set up a time to discuss talent in the industry.
The summer hiring window is open.
Are you using it?
Most Placeable Candidates
School’s out, or nearly there. While most hiring teams are heads-down in quarterly planning, some of the best candidates in our space are quietly having a different conversation with their families: if we’re ever going to make a move, this summer might be the time.
Relocation is one of the biggest sticking points in senior hiring. For candidates with school-age kids, timing matters a lot. The May through August window is genuinely different. Kids aren’t mid-semester, families have room to breathe, and a move that felt out of the question in February suddenly becomes a real possibility.
If you have roles that require relocation, now is the time to be actively recruiting. And if your relocation package hasn’t been revisited in a while, it might be worth a second look. A few things we’ve seen actually make a difference:
- Temporary housing support: Even 60 to 90 days gives a family time to find the right neighborhood without feeling rushed
- School search help: A resource that helps families sort through local districts, private options, and enrollment timelines goes a long way
- Support for a spouse or partner’s job search: this one often quietly decides whether a candidate says yes or no
- A flexible start date: letting someone start in August instead of July can be the difference between yes and not yet
The companies that make relocation feel like a supported transition, not a logistical headache, are the ones that win the candidate. The window is short. It’s worth using.
Most Placeable Candidates
MOST PLACEABLE CANDIDATE: An MPC is someone that we have identified in the industry as a highly qualified and placeable candidate. For more information on this kind of talent, contact info@boazpartners.com
MOST PLACEABLE CANDIDATE: An MPC is someone that we have identified in the industry as a highly qualified and placeable candidate. For more information on this kind of talent, contact info@boazpartners.com
Founded in Atlanta, Georgia, Boaz Partners is a retained executive recruitment firm providing companies with custom recruiting solutions in the chemicals, plastics, and heavy industrial markets. Our success results from a specialized approach focusing on specific functions, industry, level, and location. Our name “Boaz Partners” refers to Ruth’s husband Boaz in the Old Testament who was known for his swiftness, integrity, and transparency, which provides the pillars of our firm’s service.
Clients and candidates are able to rely on Boaz Partners for our vast industry knowledge and proven search process to reach their hiring goals.
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Boaz Partners, 828 Ralph McGill Blvd NE, #316, Atlanta, GA 30306, United States
KEEP UP WITH US
Boaz Partners, 828 Ralph McGill Blvd NE, #316, Atlanta, GA 30306, United States
