Job Description

Summary

We are seeking an experienced Director of Chemistry to lead our Chemistry and Environmental operations. This role oversees daily laboratory activities, ensures regulatory and audit compliance, and provides technical and strategic leadership to Chemists, Lab Assistants, Waste Treatment Operators, and support staff. The ideal candidate brings strong leadership, deep technical expertise, and the ability to build systems that elevate laboratory performance and team capability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Laboratory Leadership

• Oversee daily lab operations, workflow, and staffing.
• Recruitment, onboarding, and mentorship of laboratory personnel.
• Provide technical leadership, ensure training on standard operating procedures.
• Champion laboratory safety, chemical hygiene, and responsible research practices.

Administrator of TrueChem software (Laboratory Information Management Software).

• Configure methods, calculations, schedules, and workflows
• Review and validate analytical results for accuracy and compliance
• Maintain logs for routine analyses, calibrations, and updates
• Manage user access and maintain chemical inventory records
• Upload and maintain safety and technical documentation

Oversee the Chemistry Department’s Quality Management System

• Create and revise controlled documents (procedures, work instructions, forms).
• Maintain detailed revision records in accordance with Quality Control requirements.

Strategic & Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Partner with Management and Executive Leadership to track R&D progress, milestones, and KPIs.
• Communicate priorities, progress, and results clearly to leadership.
• Contribute to cross‑functional planning, balancing short‑term execution with long‑term strategic goals.

Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure analytical testing satisfies requirements for NADCAP audits.
• Meet with NADCAP auditors to oversee the auditing of the chemistry department.
• Ensure compliance with local and federal regulatory agencies, including: Los Angeles Sanitation Department (wastewater management), California Water Boards (stormwater handling), Air Quality Management District (chemical emissions), Other applicable regulatory bodies.
• Maintain laboratory safety programs and ensure proper chemical handling and waste disposal.
• Oversee laboratory equipment maintenance schedules and calibrations.

Customer & Engineering Support

• Collaborate with customer engineers as needed.
• Support implementation of changes to chemical parameters used in production.
• Explain technical chemistry or plating concepts to internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist engineers with designing and conducting R&D experiments.

Instrumentation Management

• Inductively Coupled Plasma Optimal Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS), Ultraviolet and Visible light spectrometer (UV-Vis), and pH Meters.
• Develop appropriate methods of analysis for each instrument and experiment types.
• Coordinate with manufacturer technical support
• Ensure proper instrument use and timely replacement of consumables

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Experience working in metal finishing.
• Proven leadership experience managing chemical laboratories and technical personnel
• Skilled in using, maintaining, and calibrating chemical instrumentation (spectrometers, spectrophotometers, pH meters, pipettes, etc.).
• Experience using and maintaining Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS).
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply technical and safety literature.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; able to collaborate across all levels.
• High emotional and analytical intelligence; able to navigate complex team dynamics.
• Resourceful, adaptable, and able to operate with urgency in evolving environments.
• Experience performing and developing analytical methods (titration, spectrometry, plating, extraction, digestion, dilution, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience using and administrating TrueChem software.
• Experience using the following instruments: ThermoScientific iCAP PRO XP DUO ICP-OES and Qtegra Software, ThermoScientific iCE 3300 FAAS and SOLAAR Software, ThermoScientific Genesys50 UV-VIS Spectrophotometer.
• Fluent in Spanish.

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