POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director, Analytical Sciences and Laboratory Governance is a senior R&D leader accountable for the strategy, capability development, operational excellence, and governance of Balchem's analytical sciences function. This role is responsible for setting enterprise-wide analytical standards across all Balchem business units and ensuring consistent expectations for analytical testing, method development, supporting compliance to laboratory quality systems, scientific standards, and data integrity. The Director provides enterprise-level leadership that supports innovation, commercialization, product quality, customer confidence, and regulatory readiness across Balchem's business segments.

• Commercial organization by testing competitive materials
• Quality Organization by developing new methods and assisting with complaint resolution when tests & equipment above and beyond the standard QC methods are needed.

The Director will lead the design, implementation, and sustained governance of an ISO/IEC 17025-aligned analytical laboratory management system, including the change management program required to embed new standards, processes, documentation, training, audit readiness, measurement assurance, and continuous improvement practices. The role is responsible for establishing a future-state governance model for analytical methods and standards across the enterprise, ensuring that methods are scientifically robust, appropriately validated, consistently applied, and fit for purpose across R&D, Quality, Operations, Commercial, Product Development, and external partner needs.

This position sets the analytical sciences vision, prioritizes the project and capability portfolio, develops talent, builds cross-functional alignment, and influences senior stakeholders on analytical strategy, laboratory investment, risk management, and quality governance. The Director partners deeply with Quality teams and Product Development teams to ensure analytical methods, specifications, release criteria, stability programs, troubleshooting approaches, and commercialization support are aligned with business needs and consistently deployed across all business units. The Director will also oversee laboratory safety, equipment strategy, space utilization, data integrity, and the development of scalable analytical platforms that enable new product development, process optimization, competitive benchmarking, complaint resolution, and commercialization support.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide strategic leadership for the Analytical Sciences function, setting a multi-year vision, capability roadmap, analytical standards framework, and operating model that support all Balchem business units and align R&D, Quality, Operations, Commercial, and Product Development priorities.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of scientists, laboratory leaders, and technicians; establish clear goals, accountability, succession plans, technical career development paths, and a culture of safety, scientific rigor, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Design, implement, and lead the enterprise change program for an ISO/IEC 17025-aligned laboratory management system, including governance structure, gap assessment, implementation roadmap, documentation hierarchy, training plan, internal audit process, management review cadence, corrective action system, and readiness for external assessment where appropriate.
• Establish and chair the future enterprise governance model for analytical methods and standards across all business units, including method lifecycle management, validation and verification expectations, measurement uncertainty practices, reference standards, equipment qualification, calibration, proficiency testing, data integrity, document control, and change control.
• Manage and prioritize a portfolio of analytical projects supporting new product development, process optimization, quality investigations, complaint resolution, competitive product analysis, claims support, customer requests, and commercialization milestones; communicate trade-offs, risks, timelines, and resource needs to senior stakeholders.
• Serve as the senior analytical science partner to Quality and Product Development teams, ensuring that analytical strategy, method readiness, specifications, stability programs, technical risk assessments, and troubleshooting support are integrated from concept through launch and sustained through product lifecycle management.
• Lead laboratory safety, compliance, and operational excellence; maintain a safe, organized, inspection-ready laboratory environment and use metrics such as recordable incident rate, near-miss reporting, audit findings, turnaround time, right-first-time testing, and method performance to drive improvement.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement emerging analytical technologies, digital tools, LIMS capabilities, automation, and advanced data approaches that improve method reliability, throughput, traceability, scientific insight, and enterprise knowledge management.
• Develop and manage capital and operating budgets for analytical laboratories, including equipment lifecycle planning, service contracts, staffing needs, external testing strategy, and investment cases tied to business value, quality risk reduction, and innovation impact.
• Represent Analytical Sciences with senior leadership, external partners, customers, auditors, and technical organizations; prepare executive-level updates, technical reports, governance reviews, and recommendations that support business decisions.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief R&D Officer or senior R&D leadership.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Advanced degree in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline required; Ph.D. strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 12-15 years of progressive analytical science, laboratory leadership, quality systems, or technical governance experience, including demonstrated responsibility for complex analytical programs, people leadership, and cross-functional stakeholder management.
• Deep technical expertise in chemical and physical characterization methods, such as gas and liquid chromatography, spectroscopy, thermal analysis, rheology, dissolution or release testing, particle characterization, wet chemistry, and method validation.
• Experience designing, implementing, maintaining, or preparing laboratories for ISO/IEC 17025, GMP, GLP, ISO 9001, or comparable laboratory quality management systems strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise change programs, influence without authority, align senior stakeholders, manage resistance, and embed new standards, processes, and governance practices across functions.
• Strong business acumen, executive communication skills, strategic prioritization capability, budget ownership experience, and the ability to translate analytical science into business value, quality risk reduction, and innovation impact.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work with chemicals in laboratory and plant environment, requiring appropriate personal protective equipment
• Requires travel, including air as needed
• Prepares and analyzes data, operates computer, laboratory and manufacturing equipment
• Combination of office and laboratory/manufacturing environments

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The expected salary range for this position is $180,000 - $220,000 per year.