Member of Technical Staff (MTS), Analytical Chemistry

Covalent; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Covalent, based in the San Francisco Bay Area (Sunnyvale), seeks a Member of Technical Staff (Analytical Chemistry) to lead GC-MS method development and validation for diverse applications, delivering high-quality results for customers.

You will troubleshoot complex problems, learn complementary techniques (LC-MS, NMR, IC), maintain instruments, and support training of junior staff while ensuring data integrity and compliance.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or M.S. in Chemistry or related field with 3-5 years of industrial analytical chemistry experience.
• Experience with GC-MS method development and validation.
• Ability to troubleshoot non-standard problems and provide practical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Own and ensure the success of projects across several techniques in Analytical Chemistry, primarily GC-MS.
• Develop and validate new analytical methods for diverse applications.
• Troubleshoot challenging customer problems and develop practical solutions.
• Learn and support complementary techniques including LC-MS, NMR, and IC.
• Maintain and optimize instrument performance; interface with vendor support and manage parts.
• Support training and mentorship of junior technical staff.

Skills

Analytical chemistry

Education

PhD in Chemistry or related

MS in Chemistry or related

Tools

GC-MS

LC-MS

NMR

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Member of Technical Staff (MTS), Analytical Chemistry

Role Summary

We are seeking a Member of Technical Staff (Analytical Chemistry) to join our Materials, Chemistry, and Surfaces team. The successful candidate will lead the development and application of methods in gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and related analytical techniques, ensuring that customer deliverables meet the highest standards of quality and timeliness.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and ensure the success of projects across several techniques in the Analytical Chemistry business unit, primarily GC-MS.
• Develop and validate new analytical methods for diverse applications.
• Troubleshoot challenging or non-standard customer problems and develop practical solutions.
• Learn and support complementary techniques, particularly chromatography and spectroscopy, including liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and ion chromatography (IC).
• Maintain and optimize instrument performance, interface with vendor support, and manage ordering and tracking of parts and consumables.
• Support training and mentorship of junior technical staff as needed.

Information Security & Compliance Responsibilities

This role is responsible for performing assigned duties in accordance with company policies, including information security, confidentiality, and data protection requirements.

The employee is expected to:

• Comply with all information security, confidentiality, privacy, and acceptable use policies.
• Protect company and customer data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or misuse.
• Access systems and data only as necessary to perform assigned job responsibilities (least privilege).
• Safeguard authentication credentials and never share access credentials.
• Follow data handling, retention, and secure transmission requirements.
• Promptly report suspected security incidents, vulnerabilities, or policy violations.
• Complete required security awareness and compliance training.
• Acknowledge and adhere to company policies and procedures.

Qualifications & Experience

• Ph.D. or M.S. in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field with 3-5 years of industrial analytical chemistry experience.

Beneficial Qualifications

• Experience or familiarity with industry-relevant analytical techniques such as HPLC, LC-MS, IC, NMR, and/or FTIR.
• Familiarity with lab quality standards and practices (e.g., ISO 17025, ASTM, GMP).
• Experience supporting instrument installation, qualification, and maintenance.
• Experience in customer-facing roles: project scoping, proposal writing, and presentation of results.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a drive to grow business and help customers succeed.
• Experience writing or modifying scripts in Python, MATLAB, or similar languages to process analytical data.

Covalent is a modern analytical services and engineering consulting company based in the San Francisco Bay Area (Sunnyvale). Our mission is to accelerate materials science innovation by serving as a problem-solving partner for technology leaders of all sizes and providing access to outstanding data generated quickly and cost-effectively.

• Covalent provides cutting-edge tools and expertise to equip our customers with the high-quality experimental data and insights they need to achieve their goals.

Why Join Covalent

At Covalent, you'll work alongside world-class scientists and engineers in a dynamic, collaborative environment. We empower our team members to take ownership of their work, innovate constantly, and engage directly with customers, shaping the future of technology.

The pay range for this role is:

130,000 - 150,000 USD per year (Covalent Sunnyvale)