Job posting: Head of R&D, Sironix Renewables, Seattle, WA

Via BlueSky, this position: 

About us: We’re a startup company with proven technology developing eco-friendly and bio-renewable surfactant chemicals for consumer products, such as laundry detergents and personal care products. Sironix has invented and developed a series of new surfactant molecules that will make our consumer products work better and benefit our environment. We have received over $7M in government investment and partnerships along with recent venture funding. We are searching for an applicant who can help us refine and scale our surfactant manufacturing process, overcome barriers to technology commercialization and achieve a more responsible future for the cleaning and personal care industry.

Summary: As Head of Research and Development at Sironix Renewables, you will be joining a company at the forefront of green chemistry, bio-renewables, and product development. You will be aiding the development and scale-up of surfactant production methods as we transition from pre-pilot toward commercial scale manufacturing. Responsibilities primarily involve coordinating with contract and chemical manufacturers to de-risk and scale manufacturing processes, designing and implementing experimental plans to meet customer product specifications, supporting R&D efforts as they relate to intellectual property and grants management, as well as performing equipment maintenance as required. 

They will lead a small team of full-time research scientists while managing relationships with contract engineers. Quality control, including use and maintenance of chromatography, spectroscopy and surfactant performance test instrumentation, will be an important focus to assure our product continues to meet our standards as scaling continues. Tasks require management of simultaneous research projects, effective communication with customers, collaborators, and other team members, as well as auxiliary technical tasks outside of typical lab work to help grow our business. As is the nature of research, creative problem solving is required in order to ensure consistent and confident data. The working conditions and fellow employees are relaxed, but we are motivated and determined to build a name for ourselves and change the way the world cleans!

Salary: A starting salary of $110,000 to $150,000 per year is expected.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or related Engineering discipline with 2 years of relevant industry experience, or M.S. with 4 years of relevant industry experience, or B.S. with 6 years of relevant industry experience required
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working independently to design and implement chemistry experiments in the laboratory, including demonstrated wet chemistry skills as well as analytical and problem-solving skills to interpret and refine results
• High mechanical aptitude and knowledge of mechanical concepts needed to maintain, troubleshoot and repair mechanical equipment and electrical device

Full ad here. Best wishes to those interested.