Lead Pilot Lab Technician

Vital Growth Management Ltd; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Vital Growth Management Ltd. is seeking a Lead Pilot Lab Technician to provide hands-on bench capacity for our formulation and materials R&D program.

The role involves evaluating new raw materials and formulations in a pilot-scale tabletting process and generating data to support regulatory filings, IP generation, and product development decisions. This is a hands-on physical position requiring independent execution and maintenance of pilot-scale equipment such as powder tumble blenders and

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with pilot-scale tablet production and reactive-metal chemistry is a plus.
• Experience operating and maintaining a 10-station rotary tablet press.
• Familiarity with GMP documentation practices and record-keeping.

Responsibilities

• Independently operate and maintain pilot-scale equipment and manage lab inventory.
• Run pilot-scale experiments for hydrogen-generating formulations and conduct disintegration and stability assessments.
• Evaluate new raw materials and formulations; prepare data packages for regulatory filings.
• Prepare R&D samples and coordinate shipments to third-party labs for testing.
• Maintain lab notebooks suitable for patent filings and regulatory submissions.
• Follow pilot lab SOPs and support material specs under R&D leadership.

Skills

Pilot lab ops

Tableting

Hydrogen chemistry

GMP documentation

Safety & risk

Problem solving

Education

Relevant post-secondary training (Food Sci/Chem Eng/etc.)

Tools

Globe VersaPress or similar tablet press

Powder characterization equipment

Job description

Vital Growth Management develops hydrogen-based wellness products, including hydrogen water tablets and the InhaleH2 hydrogen inhalation device. We're hiring a Lead Pilot Lab Technician to provide hands-on bench capacity for our formulation and materials R&D program for our dietary supplement product line. This role involves evaluation of new raw materials and formulations in a pilot scale tableting process laboratory, conducts formulation and process development experiments under senior R&D leadership direction and oversight, and generates supporting datato support our regulatory filings. It's a high-impact position on a small science team where your data directly shapes raw material sourcing, supports new IP generation, and impacts product design and development decisions.

This is a hands-on physical position , requiring independent execution and maintenance of pilot scale process equipment such as powder tumble blenders and rotary tablet presses, and instrumentation for physical characterization of properties such as powder flow, density, particle size, or tablet hardness, friability, disintegration and processability.

What You'll Do

• Independently maintain and operate pilot scale process and related laboratory equipment, manage pilot lab inventory, and ensure safety compliance with reactive metals handling requirements
• Run pilot and bench-scale experiments on hydrogen-generating formulations: blend and tablet production, conduct disintegration, H₂ generation, and preliminary stability assessments per written instructions
• Evaluate and characterize new raw materials and formulations — sample prep, comparative testing, and qualification data packages
• Prepare customer and internal R&D samples in support of formulation and process development
• Coordinate R&D sample preparation, submission, and shipment to third-party labs for analytical testing (assay, heavy metals, elemental impurities, micro)
• Maintain rigorous lab notebooks and experimentalrecords suitable for patent filings and regulatory submissions (GRAS/NDI/Novel Food support)
• Author and/or follow pilot laboratory SOPs; support raw material and dietary supplement specification development under senior R&D leadership and Quality and Regulatory guidance

What You Bring

• 5+ years hands-on tableting pilot scale process lab experience (industry preferred); experience and comfort with effervescent tablet production, and gas-evolving / reactive-metal chemistry is a strong plus
• Hands-on experience operating, setting up, troubleshooting, maintaining, and cleaning a pilot-scale 10-station rotary tablet press, such as a Globe Pharma VersaPress or comparable system
• Familiarity with powder and tableting physical characterization (bulk/tap density, sieve analysis, LOD, angle of repose, tablet hardness, friability, and disintegration)
• Working knowledge of GMP documentation practices with strong record-keeping skills; dietary supplement or pharma environment experience a plus
• Self-directed in a small-team environment; comfortable managing pilot process equipment and executing experiment under senior R&D direction according to written protocols
• Demonstrates strong technical judgment and communication during laboratory and pilot-scale runs, including promptly escalating problems, deviations, safety concerns, and observations that may affect product quality, process performance, experimental interpretation, or subsequent development decisions

Nice to Have

• 2-4 years post-secondary training (with or without degree) in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field
• Experience supporting data collection for patent applications and/or preparation of regulatory dossiers