R & D Analytical Chemist

Job description

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, age, citizenship, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, disability status, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Description

At BASF, we create chemistry through the power of connected minds. By balancing economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, we are building a more sustainable future through chemistry. As the world’s leading chemical company, we help our customers in nearly every industry meet the current and future needs of society through science and innovation. We achieve this through our commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence, which gives us the opportunity to set and deliver on ambitious, long-term goals.

We provide a challenging and rewarding work environment with a strong emphasis on process safety, as well as the safety of our employees and the communities we operate in and are always working to form the best team—especially from within, through an emphasis on lifelong learning and development. This allows for our employees to innovate and generate new ideas, put them into action, and gain insights from them to further advance our collective expertise.

And we are constantly striving to become an even better place to work. BASF has been recognized by Forbes Magazine in 2020 as one of America’s Best Employers. We strongly support the spirit of collaboration through effectively involving team members and colleagues from other relevant units when developing and executing strategies and projects. Come join us on our journey to create solutions for a sustainable future!

R&D Analytical Chemist (2001443) – West Sacramento, CA

Where the Chemistry Happens…

We are seeking a professional like you to execute/lead Quality Consumer and Nutritional Analytics (QCNA) projects and activities independently for continuous discovery and development / optimization / implementation of technologies and procedures in the areas of metabolite analytics and postharvest quality evaluation, in alignment with business needs.  You will also support QCNA scientists, breeding, and product development in the development of innovative and competitive products, procedures, and technologies and in the improvement of time-to-market for new products.  Additionally, you will be responsible for training and supervising QCNA contract laboratory technician to ensure efficient completion of QCNA activities (research, selection, and evaluation) and manage training (Pre)-Breeding, Product Development, and Service personnel to use technologies for selection / evaluation of output trait developed with involvement of QCNA.

Formula for Success: You Will…

 

STRATEGY

·     Understand company business strategy and how to relate the strategy with tasks and responsibilities of this position

·     Support the implementation of QCNA research policies to secure and ensure the realization of long-term and short-term research goals

R&D TACTICS AND OPERATIONS IMPLEMENTATION

·     Lead, plan and execute research experiments relating to quality and metabolite analytics in alignment with objectives of work packages

·     Analyze and interpret experiment results with minimum supervision from Senior/Principal Scientist and provide recommendation(s) to project team member(s) based on the research findings

·     Implement validated new technologies in the research projects and/or breeding selection to create added-value products / protocols

INNOVATION & DIGITALIZATION

·     Identify, develop, optimize, and validate new technologies / biochemical assays to provide robust and high-throughput protocols, applicable for research experiment and breeding selection

·     Provide recommendation to Senior/Principal Scientist and project team members/stakeholders based on the findings of “proof-of-concept” regarding the use of new technologies / assays to facilitate decision making

PORTFOLIO / PROJECT MANAGEMENT

·     Manage metabolite-based selection for line/hybrid development relating to innovative output trait in collaboration with Breeding, Pre-Breeding, and Cell Biology Services

·     Manage output trait evaluation for SCR1/SCR2 and T1/T2 hybrids which QCNA was involved during line development of trait-of-interest in collaboration with Global and Regional Product Development Specialist(s)

·     Manage maintenance of lab equipment and availability of lab supplies to ensure project completion within deadline and budget plan

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

·     Train, instruct, and supervise contract laboratory technician to ensure proper execution of research experiments

·     Train personnel from (Pre)-Breeding, Product Development, and Service teams to use specified technology / assay for output-trait related screening / evaluation and ensure the success of protocol transfer

INTERNAL & EXTERNAL COLLABORATIONS / COMMUNICATIONS

·     Communicate efficiently and effectively with all relevant project stakeholders (internal and external QCNA) regarding project planning, experiment results, and recommendation for future steps

·     Collaborate with HSE to develop and implement safety and hazardous chemical handling procedures for QCNA and ensure compliance to the procedures during execution of research experiments

·     Participate in external quality and metabolite analytics projects with other business units within BASF, universities, other companies, or research institutions to develop new technologies for metabolite / quality analytics measurement

BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY

·     Control operational lab expenses within the approved budget amount and communicate if there is any discrepancy

Qualifications - BASF recognizes institutions of Higher Education which are accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or equivalent

Qualifications
 

·      BSc with minimum 12 years of experience or MSc with minimum 5-8 years of experience or PhD with minimum of 2 years of experience in the areas of Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, or Food Chemistry

·      Experience conducting research in agriculture or food industries preferred

·      Hands-on experience in operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting GC-MS, ion chromatography, and/or rapid separation HPLC

·      Hands-on experience with extraction or separation techniques, particularly SPME, SPE, and TLC

·      Hands-on experience with colorimetric assay using 96-well microtiter plate

·      Hand-on experience in quantitative analysis from complex food / plant matrix, including selection of appropriate extraction procedure and instrumental methodology

·      Knowledge in instrumental and quantitative analysis, food chemistry, flavor chemistry, and plant biochemistry

·      Strong technical problem-solving and critical thinking skill

·      Experience in data management and reporting (written and oral presentation)

Create Your Own Chemistry: What We Offer You

Adding value to our customers begins with adding value to you. you@BASF is the suite of benefits, perks, programs and unique opportunities we offer to support you—the whole you—in all stages of your life and career. With you@BASF, you create your own chemistry.

The total rewards that you receive as a BASF employee go way beyond a paycheck. From competitive health and insurance plans, to robust retirement benefits that include company-matching contributions, to making sure you never stop learning, we believe investing in you is investing in our success. Working for a large, global organization, you’ll have a chance to grow professionally and personally, expand your network and build a rewarding and dynamic career.

BASF provides interesting and challenging learning and development opportunities to help you make the most of your talents and your job.

For further information on Agricultural Products with BASF, please select:  BASF: Create Chemistry with the Agricultural Products Division