R&D Chemist, fiber functionalization

Renasens AB; Borås kommun; On-site; SEK 600,000 - 780,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness allowance

Pension scheme

30 days vacation

Rapid career growth

Job summary

Renasens AB in Borås is seeking an R&D Chemist specializing in fiber functionalization. In this role, you will lead the design and execution of functionalization chemistry for recycled fibers in a hands-on pilot plant environment.

Applicants should possess a Master's or PhD in organic or polymer chemistry and at least two years of industrial R&D experience. This full-time position offers significant ownership and rapid career growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of industrial R&D experience in chemical, materials, polymer, or textile industry.
• Experience with grafting, cross-linking, and surface functionalization required.
• Solid analytical skills to characterize functionalized fibers.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the fiber functionalization workstream.
• Design and execute surface modification chemistry.
• Optimize reaction protocols from lab to pilot.

Skills

Functional group chemistry

Reaction mechanisms

Hands-on lab experience

Analytical skills

Education

MSc or PhD in organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, or related field

Job description

Renasens

At Renasens we're building for people who are energized by winning, enjoy ownership, and thrive in a fast‑moving environment. Our pace demands individuals who hold themselves to a high standard and care deeply about execution. If you prefer extensive structure, highly predictable environments, or a slower pace of decision‑making, we may not be the right fit.

In a small team, there's nowhere to hide, in both directions. Great work gets noticed, and so do opportunities to improve. The upside is that your impact is visible, your contributions matter, and strong performance is recognized quickly.

Before applying, take a moment to consider whether this environment aligns with how you do your best work.

Hiring Opportunities

• Textile / Fiber Processing Engineer – Borås, On‑site, Full‑time. Seeking a skilled Textile Engineer with hands‑on industrial experience to lead the mechanical separation and fiber recovery workstream focusing on feedstock characterization, shredding, opening, and carding.
• Supercritical CO₂ Engineer – Borås, On‑site, Full‑time. Seeking a Process Engineer with deep expertise in supercritical CO₂ extraction to take end‑to‑end ownership of the scCO₂ workstream, designing and scaling protocols from lab to pilot.
• R&D Chemist, fiber functionalization – Borås, On‑site, Full‑time. Seeking a skilled Chemist with expertise in organic or polymer chemistry to lead fiber functionalization workstreams, designing and executing surface modification chemistry in a fast‑paced, hands‑on pilot plant environment.
• Physical Chemistry Engineer – Borås, On‑site, Full‑time. Seeking a methodical and hands‑on Chemical Engineer or Physical Chemist to take end‑to‑end ownership of cotton pre‑treatment and dye removal development in a fast‑paced, onsite laboratory environment.

R&D Chemist, fiber functionalization

Location: Borås; Work type: On‑site, Full‑time

Your mission at Renasens

You see a fiber and instinctively think about what functional groups are sitting on its surface; and what you could do with them. You will bring a methodical mindset and a strong synthetic toolkit to design and execute functionalization chemistry that gives our recycled fibers new performance characteristics. You move between molecular design and hands‑on lab work fluently, and you turn ideas into reproducible protocols that survive contact with the pilot.

Responsibilities

• Take end‑to‑end ownership of the fiber functionalization workstream (cotton and polycotton)
• Design and execute grafting, cross‑linking, and surface modification chemistry to meet specific performance targets
• Develop and optimize reaction protocols from lab bench toward pilot‑relevant conditions
• Characterize functionalized fibers using relevant techniques; write clean SOPs and contribute to IP generation through structured experimental records
• Contribute to an organized and clean lab environment

What you bring

• MSc or PhD in organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, or related field
• Strong fundamentals in functional group chemistry, reactivity, and reaction mechanisms
• Experience with grafting, cross‑linking, or surface functionalization of polymers or natural fibers
• Minimum 2 years of industrial R&D experience (chemical, materials, polymer, or textile industry); academic only profiles will not be considered for this role
• Hands‑on synthetic lab experience; comfortable designing reactions and troubleshooting when they fail
• Solid analytical/characterization skills

Who you are

• Energized by problems; you don't walk past a challenge, you walk toward it
• Reliable & independent: you take ownership of your chemistry and deliver on time without close supervision
• Team over ego; you care more about collective wins than being right
• Thrive in fast‑paced environments; you are energized by ambitious timelines and meaningful challenges
• Translate depth into action, you go deep on reaction mechanisms when needed, but don't get stuck; you know when to stop optimizing the synthesis and start scaling it

Great to have, but not required

• Exposure to organic chemistry applied to sub‑critical or supercritical fluid systems
• Previous experience in textile, fiber, or cellulose chemistry
• Experience working at the interface of organic chemistry and process scale‑up
• Track record of contribution to patents or IP

How we work at Renasens

Onsite & hands‑on: our pilot plant is in Borås, with our headquarters in Stockholm. This role is based where the work happens; close to the lab and the pilot.

Expect to spend most of your time on site running reactions and iterating with the team.

Small team, high ownership: we are around 10 people. You will own your workstream end‑to‑end and work directly with the R&D lead, process engineers & CEO. No layers, no committees.

Pace matters: We have pilot reception milestones in 2026 and customer commitments behind them. We move fast, decide with the data we have, and iterate.

Compensation & benefits

• Wellness allowance
• Pension scheme
• 30 days vacation
• Rapid career growth

Employment type

Full‑time

Location

Borås, Viared