POSITION OVERVIEW:
This position will lead laboratory efforts to pioneer new process chemistries, cementitious materials, and carbonate morphologies, with an emphasis on cementitious system development. The role will include altering cementitious matrices to optimize transformation kinetics and property development, and developing new reaction schemes and pathways.
The ideal candidate will bring strong laboratory presence, deep technical knowledge of material chemistry, and hands-on laboratory research experience. Experience with cement chemistry, hydration reactions, supplementary cementitious materials, and/or carbonate-based cementitious systems is preferred.
This individual must be able to navigate the unknown challenges associated with developing new technologies, processes, and scale-up conditions. The ideal candidate must be comfortable working in ambiguous environments, making informed decisions, and providing recommendations as new data and learnings emerge.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Conduct experiments utilizing laboratory reactors and cementitious material systems
- Characterize precipitation products and cementitious materials via XRD, SEM, PSA, TGA, titrations, calorimetry, and related analytical techniques
- Investigate calcium carbonate reactions, cement hydration mechanisms, and cementitious material transformation pathways
- Develop and optimize cementitious formulations and reaction schemes to support product performance objectives
- Endeavor to meet development milestones and project timelines
- Contribute to product strategy planning and prioritization of R&D efforts
- Generate high-quality reports of findings and conclusions for presentation to the R&D team
- Coordinate with the Process Development and Product Development groups to understand interactions between production process parameters and product performance
- Follow established laboratory safety protocols and procedures
- Develop recommendations and implement solutions to improve established processes
- Maintain complete and accurate records of work performed and report results in a precise format for inclusion in laboratory information management systems
- Create and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Research and develop new analytical approaches for cementitious and carbonate-based materials
- Conduct literature reviews and use historical data to develop innovative applications for Fortera cementitious materials
- Write invention disclosures, support patent applications, and author technical articles explaining company technology
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:- Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cement Engineering, or related technical field
- Master's degree or PhD a plus
- 6+ years of experience in cement chemistry, cementitious materials, carbonate chemistry, or related field
- Strong understanding of cement hydration chemistry, supplementary cementitious materials, and/or carbonate-based cement systems preferred
- Experience operating analytical laboratory equipment including XRD, SEM, TGA, PSA, and related instrumentation
- Experience with formulation development and material characterization
- Capable of independently organizing and prioritizing work
- Strong work ethic and ability to meet deadlines
- Excellent communication skills and eagerness to collaborate cross-functionally
- Comfortable operating in fast-paced R&D environments with evolving priorities and technical uncertainty
COMPENSATION:
The compensation package for this role includes a competitive base salary commensurate with experience with a range of $100,000 - $125,000 as well as an annual bonus and pre-IPO incentive stock options.
