About the Company

Origin is the world’s leading carbon negative materials company. We are based in California and Ontario. Through chemistry and engineering, we replace petroleum with cheap, renewable sources of carbon (like sustainably forested wood residues) to create building-block chemicals used in everyday things. Our vision is to industrialize a new material basis for the chemical industry — one built on technology that’s not just sustainable, but restorative. Our partners include PepsiCo, Danone, and Nestlé. To learn more about Origin, visit www.originmaterials.com.

Our People

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. When you take a job at Origin, you do more than switch companies or advance your career. You become part of the Origin community: an inclusive group of hardworking, uniquely talented people who drive innovation.

Benefits and Perks

You will work with great people. You will be joining a close-knit group of A+ players who like to hustle, create, and work hard because we believe in Origin’s mission: to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials.

You will make a difference. We’re working on big things, so every person has the opportunity to make an impact.

You will grow. There are endless opportunities at Origin to learn and improve. You’ll be surrounded by great minds and presented with big challenges. And you and your teammates will push one another to overcome those challenges.

You will enjoy excellent benefits. We offer a wide range of insurance including Medical and Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life, as well as a 401k, EAP, and generous leave.

You will have flexibility. We don’t believe in one size fits all when it comes to work location and schedule. We care about safety and efficiency so work where and when you are at your best. Also, we recognize our team works hard so we want you to take time off when you need it. That’s why we have a flexible time off policy.

About the Position

The Associate Research Chemist will be responsible for supporting R&D and Engineering projects involving the foundational research and product development of products derived from Origin’s process. This position is largely lab-work based. Research Chemists must follow safe work practices including use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Research Chemists will perform experiments using bench-scale equipment, perform analysis, write reports, as well as perform various duties required to keep assigned units and areas clean and to operate efficiently and safely. Advancement to higher levels within this career track will be possible as the complexity and number of tasks which are performed autonomously increase.

You will be responsible for:

Lab Work:

• Operating bench-scale laboratory equipment under the direction of lead scientists. This includes operating small-scale reactors, performing distillations, extractions, crystallizations, and dilutions, as well as processing solid and liquid samples
• Troubleshooting existing processes when observations deviate from the known procedure
• Evaluating the chemical and physical properties of various substances.

Reporting:

• Maintaining an electronic notebook detailing all data measured, observations, and steps performed
• Collect, analyze, and process raw data using standard software and techniques
• Clearly communicate experiment purpose and results verbally and in writing

Other Duties:

• Procuring reagents/supplies and manage department inventory
• Authoring/editing SOGs (standard operating guidelines)
• Performing daily lab inspections
• Participating in group hazard analysis

About You
You:

• Can safely manage the physical demands/working environment
• Are able to work with glassware
• Are able to safely handle hazardous materials
• Are able to move / lift 50 pounds
• Are able to bend to reach floor level
• Are able to be on your feet up to 8 hours a day
• Are able to wear a respirator for 1+ hour a day
• Place safety at the top of your priority list
• Are comfortable working with flammable / hazardous chemicals and wear appropriate PPE

Your Experience:

Gotta Have it:

Professional Experience:

• 1+ years laboratory / chemical operations experience with hazardous chemicals

Education:

• Associate’s/Bachelor’s degree or technical certification in chemistry, chemical engineering, material science, process technology or other relevant technical field from an accredited school

Skills:

• Value a safety culture. You have respect for and are comfortable working with hazardous chemicals
• Flexibility to work on a wide variety of experimental procedures
• Collaborate and communicate within your department and across the company
• Follow procedures with keen attention to details and approach problems with critical thinking

Bonus:

Professional Experience:

• 3+ years laboratory / chemical operations experience with hazardous chemicals

Materials Focus:

• Experience with any of the following:
• Benchtop liquid-phase reactors
• Solid powders
• High-temperature kilns/furnaces
• Gas cylinders/regulators
• Nano-materials characterization (Electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), nitrogen physisorption, XRD, particle size distribution)
• Product development
• Ability to work with external vendors for sample analysis

Chemistry Focus:

• Experience operating Parr reactors or similar
• Knowledge of synthetic chemistry
• Ability to perform NMR analysis at an external site
• Ability to develop new processes to support R&D
• Knowledge of ozonolysis or resin separation technology

Kinetics Focus:

• Experience working with catalysts and chemical reactions
• Experience operating Parr reactors or similar
• Experience performing batch or continuous distillations
• Experience performing calculations to fit and predict experiment results
• Strong understanding of statistics and error analysis

Separations Focus:

• Experience performing batch or continuous distillations
• Experience performing batch or continuous crystallizations
• Experience performing calculations to fit and predict experiment results
• Experience operating pilot scale equipment
• Ability to work with external vendors for sample analysis

Ion Exchange Focus:

• Experience with ion exchange resins or other charge-based separations technologies
• Ability to collaborate with external consultants and experts

A few last things:

• We don’t hire off of key words. We hire smart, capable, real people who are ready to learn and are enthusiastic about changing the world. If you think you’d be a good fit, we hope you are encouraged to apply.
• Maybe you’re amazing but this job isn’t exactly what you’re looking for. We’ve learned that amazing people surround themselves with amazing people. Be a good friend and pass this along to someone you think might be the perfect fit!