Senior Analytical Chemist

About WISEcode Labs

WISEcode Labs is an independent, ISO 17025 accredited, third-party testing laboratory serving food, beverage, dietary supplement, ingredient, and adjacent consumer-health companies. The lab combines advanced analytical instrumentation, rigorous method development, microbiology and chemistry expertise, and a high-touch service model designed for customers with complex and recurring testing needs.

WISEcode Labs is differentiated by its unwavering focus on food safety, nutrition and contaminant testing and becoming a primary testing partner to food industry, owing to its rapid response time, depth of testing and defensible data.

Key responsibilities

GC-MS method onboarding and support

• Lead the onboarding of new GC-MS methods as business needs require, including method transfer, optimization, verification and validation for food and supplement matrices (e.g., pesticide residues, residual solvents, contaminants, fatty acids, flavor and volatile compounds).
• Draft and revise SOPs, validation protocols and reports to support new and existing GC-MS methods.
• Train analysts on new GC-MS methods, instrument operation and sample preparation techniques and headspace analysis.

ICP-MS production and technical support

• Provide day-to-day technical support for ICP-MS production analysis of elemental contaminants and nutrient minerals (e.g., heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, As, Hg).
• Serve as the lab's ICP-MS subject-matter expert, troubleshooting instrument performance, interferences, calibration, internal standard recovery and QC failures.
• Perform and oversee routine and preventive maintenance (cones, nebulizer, torch, tuning) to keep instruments running and minimize downtime.
• Support microwave digestion and other sample preparation workflows for diverse food and supplement matrices.

LC production support

• Support HPLC/UHPLC and LC-MS/MS production as needed to meet turnaround times and workload demands.

Data review and quality

• Perform extensive technical review of LC, GC and ICP-MS production data, including integrations, calibration, QC samples, spike recoveries, duplicates and reporting limits.
• Ensure data integrity and compliance with ISO/IEC 17025, cGMP and internal quality system requirements.
• Document out-of-specification (OOS) and out-of-trend results, nonconformances and QC failures, and support QA with implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

Leadership and collaboration

• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior chemists and laboratory technicians.
• Work with lab management, quality assurance and client services to prioritize workload and resolve technical issues.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of laboratory efficiency, throughput and data quality.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Food Science or a related scientific field.
• Minimum of 5 years of hands-on analytical laboratory experience.
• Extensive hands-on experience with GC-MS and ICP-MS, including routine operation, method development or transfer, maintenance and troubleshooting.
• Working knowledge of LC techniques (HPLC/UHPLC; LC-MS/MS a plus).
• Proven experience performing technical review of chromatographic and elemental analysis data.
• Familiarity with instrument software and data systems (e.g., Agilent MassHunter Open Lab, or similar) and LIMS.
• Solid understanding of QA/QC principles, method validation and data integrity

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Food Science or a related field.
• Previous experience in a food, dietary supplement or nutraceutical testing laboratory.
• Experience in a contract or commercial testing lab with high sample volumes and defined turnaround times.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations and reference methods, such as AOAC, USP, FDA (21 CFR Part 111/117), EPA and California Proposition 65.
• Experience working under an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited quality system.
• Experience with triple-quadrupole GC-MS/MS and/or ICP-MS collision/reaction cell techniques.
• Prior experience training or leading other analysts.

Skills and competencies

• Strong analytical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• High attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including technical documentation.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently in a production setting.
• Collaborative, team-oriented approach and willingness to mentor others.

Work environment and physical requirements

• Laboratory setting with exposure to chemicals, compressed gases, acids and high-temperature equipment; appropriate PPE required.
• Ability to stand for extended periods and lift up to 30 lbs.
• Occasional overtime or flexible hours may be required to meet production demands.

Pay: From $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person