Senior Analytical Scientist, Lab Manager

FutureFuel Corporation; Batesville (AR); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading chemical manufacturer in Batesville, Arkansas seeks a Senior Analytical Scientist and Lab Manager to oversee analytical services, method development, and compliance with quality standards. The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Chemistry and strong analytical skills, with at least five years of management experience in an industrial laboratory. The role supports a range of projects and requires excellent communication and problem-solving abilities.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of analytical chemistry is required.
• Five years of experience as an analytical lab manager is preferred.
• Highly motivated and self-directed candidates are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Analytical Lab and provide analytical services.
• Develop new analytical methods and ensure instrument accuracy.
• Support compliance with laboratory quality systems and standards.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical chemistry

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Customer focus

Education

PhD in Chemistry

Tools

GC

LC

FTIR

NMR

UV-Vis

Job description

Senior Analytical Scientist, Lab Manager

FutureFuel Chemical Company (FFCC) is a specialty and fine chemical manufacturing facility with over a forty-year plant history. FFCC has three business segments: custom/toll manufacturing, performance chemicals, and biodiesel. FFCC serves a wide variety of markets including pharmaceutical intermediates and products, nylon and polyester polymers, cleaning products, agricultural products, paints and coating, and fuels and energy.

About The Position

As a Senior Analytical Scientist and Analytical Lab Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the operation and functions of the Analytical Lab. You and your staff will have primary responsibilities to provide analytical services to support new business opportunities, new product development projects, manufacturing process improvement, production troubleshooting, and product quality. They will develop new analytical methods, improve existing methods, ensure the accuracy, precision, and robustness of instruments/methods, communicate routinely with customers and personnel in manufacturing, product and process development and commercial. The expectations also include supporting the implementation of and compliance with laboratory quality systems/standards; ISO9001, BQ9000, GMP and others. The ideal candidate is a creative PhD chemist with successful experience in leadership, teambuilding, process management, and a business growth focus. No two days are ever exactly the same, and the variety of chemistry is unmatched.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for classical and instrumental methods of analyses; titrations, physical, chemical, and thermal properties, and environmental and biodiesel sample testing. Instruments and test methods include but are not limited to the following: Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
• Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA)
• Total Organic Analyzers
• Auto titrators including Karl Fischer
• Viscometers
• Density meters
• Flash point analyzers
• Moisture balance analyzers and various types of ovens
• Rancimat for oxidation stability testing
• Perform NMR analyses as backup for NMR chemist
• Instrumentation and equipment operation, maintenance, calibrations and qualification for GMP projects
• Analytical methods development, validation, implementation, calibration, customer method implementation, regulatory method implementation, and analyst training
• Support success of new business projects and improvements for current processes; develop expertise in areas of responsibility to provide analyses in a timely manner and work with Development chemists to characterize intermediates and products using all tools available
• Develop methods for new projects and improvements for current processes
• Adapt current instrumentation to meet business needs, minimizing the purchase of new instrumentation and equipment when possible
• Overall management of the analytic laboratory
• Safety of lab personnel and lab operations
• Training of lab personnel
• Develop additional expertise as the business need arises
• Support the implementation and compliance with laboratory quality systems/standards; ISO, BQ9000 and others
• Establish cGMP expertise and additional expertise as the business need arises
• Provide solutions and think creatively when addressing challenges from internal and external customers. Internal customers include Development, Manufacturing, Utilities, HSES, Sales & Marketing, and Management
• Work routinely with Sales and Marketing, Development Chemists, Process Engineering, and Manufacturing Management and Staff on new products and to improve existing processes
• Present a positive attitude and be aware of the customer’s impression to ensure a willingness to work toward a successful conclusion
• Interact with customers (existing and prospective)

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry with emphasis on analytical chemistry; strong understanding of analytical chemistry
• Working knowledge of GC, LC, IC, and other chromatographic techniques
• Working knowledge of FTIR, UV-Vis, ICP, and other spectroscopic techniques
• Working knowledge of NMR techniques
• Preferably five or more years’ experience as an analytical lab manager
• Proficient in literature searches
• Able to adapt literature procedures to analytical methods
• Strong ability to interpret data
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Highly motivated and self-directed
• Leadership and motivation of technical teams
• Strong customer focus and business understanding
• Creative problem-solving skills
• Legally allowed to work in the US without restriction

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in an industrial chemical manufacturing laboratory setting

About FutureFuel

FutureFuel Chemical Company (FFCC) is a specialty and fine chemical manufacturing producer with an over forty-year successful plant history. FFCC has three business segments: custom/toll manufacturing, performance chemicals, and biodiesel. FFCC serves a wide variety of markets including pharmaceutical intermediates and products, nylon and polyester fibers, cleaning products, agricultural products, paints and coating, and fuels and energy.

FFCC is a small publicly traded company with approximately 500 employees that has a rich history of complex organic chemistry innovation, excellent environmental stewardship, and excellent health and safety compliance. We are a growing U.S. manufacturer of specialty organic chemicals and premium biofuels. Our company is headquartered in Clayton, St Louis and publicly listed on the NYSE under "FF". We have a world class integrated biofuels and specialty chemicals manufacturing facility in Batesville, Arkansas.