Manager/Scientist - Analytical Chemistry

Provivi Overview  

We are a multi-national, Santa Monica-based company, founded in 2013 by Caltech scholars: Professor Frances Arnold, Pedro Coelho, and Peter Meinhold. We’re rethinking pest control as innovators in pheromone technology, the engineers and creators of a family of safe and effective pest control solutions for major damaging insects. We are hiring the very best and brightest people to expand our impact. 

Role Description  

As a member of the Provivi’s R&D team, you will have a vital role in developing and validating analytical methods for detection, identification, and quantification of small molecules found in Provivi’s proprietary chemical and biochemical processes as well as pheromone components in formulated products.  Specifically, the successful candidate will develop and validate GC, GCMS, HPLC, HPIC methods, establish quality control protocols for Provivi’s commercial products, provide hands-on technical assistance to maintain analytical equipment in good working orders, and analyze samples supporting various projects. Strong technical, organizational, and communication skills, as well as the ability to develop creative solutions to challenging problems, are essential.  

Responsibilities Include  

• Oversee and perform daily laboratory operations. 

• Perform method development and validation of analytical methods (typically using GC-FID) for analysis of active ingredients as well as end-user products. 

• Supervise, train, and mentor junior chemists in method development, validation, troubleshooting, instrumentation, laboratory practices, and processes. 

• Allocate workload and promote optimal productivity and turnaround time. 

• Ensure analytical equipment is maintained in good working order; troubleshoot and perform minor repairs as needed. 

• Anticipates additional resources, consumable, and equipment requirements as needed to ensure that work can be completed within the budgeted time. 

• Review, approve, and release test results and Certificates of Analysis (COAs). 

• Troubleshoot problems that cause inaccuracy in data. 

• Maintenance of a safe and orderly laboratory and ensure compliance with all safety policies and practices. 

• Review and approve analytical data, reports, and documentation from junior chemists. 

• Be able to work closely with Formulations, QA, Regulatory, Operations, and Sales teams. 

• Be able to work closely with GLP labs, contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), Provivi partner companies, clients, regulators and suppliers. 

• Prepare research reports and Standard Operating Procedures for internal and external use. 
  

Qualifications & Skills Include 

• At a minimum, a Ph.D. degree in chemistry with 2 years of industrial experience in analytical chemistry. Equivalency could be achieved via a master's degree and several additional years of experience or a bachelor’s degree with extensive industrial experience in analytical chemistry. 

• A good understanding of analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and chemical engineering principles. 

• Expertise in creating, curating, collating, and analyzing large data sets using custom software solutions. 

• Demonstrated practical ability to develop methods for characterization and quantification of small molecules found in chemical and biochemical processes and formulated products using conventional chromatography techniques and analytical instruments including GC, GCMS, HPLC.  

• Must be skilled in operation of chromatographic data acquisition and processing software packages such as Chromeleon, Agilent ChemStation and other software tools for data reduction and presentation. 

• Ability to leverage AI to shorten method development and analysis time is a big plus. 

• Excellent written, reporting, and verbal communication skill
  

• Proficient in using Microsoft Office suite including Word, Excel, and Power point.