Technician, Quality Control (Fragrance)

Socket.dev; Elizabeth (NJ); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Catered Lunch

401(k) savings plan with company match

Flexible PTO

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Osmo is seeking a Quality Control Technician to join its fragrance lab in Elizabeth, NJ. You will perform testing on raw materials and finished goods, using sensory judgment alongside automated methods to decide on accept/reject outcomes.

You will maintain lab records, calibrate instruments, and step in for QC Manager when needed, ensuring continuous production flow and accurate documentation. On-site role, with a strong emphasis on fragrance expertise.

Qualifications

• Experience in fragrance raw materials testing and finished goods evaluation.
• Ability to make real-time accept/reject calls independently.
• Strong documentation practices and lab record keeping.

Responsibilities

• Judge raw material test results and decide if out-of-spec readings are defects.
• Apply olfactive judgment to evaluate materials and products.
• Conduct triangulation testing to confirm batch consistency before shipping.
• Make real-time accept/reject calls and escalate only truly ambiguous cases.
• Cover QC sign-off when QC Manager is unavailable to keep production moving.
• Maintain and calibrate lab instrumentation (GC/MS, photosampler, etc.).
• Maintain audit-ready test logs, certificates of analysis, and equipment records.
• Mentor QC Tech staff on testing and olfactive judgment.
• Collaborate with Purchasing, Warehouse, Shipping, and Development on sample flow.

Skills

Fragrance industry experience

Fast decision-making in QC

Documentation habits

On-site in Elizabeth NJ

Education

Technical degree (Chemistry or Chemical Engineering)

Equivalent lab experience accepted

Tools

GC/GCMS familiarity

Lab instrumentation experience

Job description

Who we are at Osmo:

Osmo is a digital olfaction company, on a mission to give computers a sense of smell to improve the health and wellbeing of human life. Why? Our sense of smell both enriches and saves lives, and has a deep and direct connection to our emotions and memory.

Olfactory Intelligence has applications across industries including fragrance, manufacturing, security, medicine, and more. We believe in the power of automation and thoughtfully applied AI/ML to solve problems beyond the reach of human intuition alone.

We're headquartered in Elizabeth, NJ, with an additional office in Somerville, MA. We provide complimentary shuttle service from Brooklyn and Newark, NJ.

About the Role

Osmo's QC function is being built from the ground up, and this seat is where day-to-day quality judgment lives. You'll run testing and sampling on raw materials coming in and finished fragrance going out, using real fragrance-industry judgment that automated testing alone can't provide. You'll have the standing to make real-time accept/reject calls independently, and the experience to step in and cover QC decisions when the QC Manager is out.

What You'll Do:

• Judge incoming raw material results from automated testing, deciding when an out-of-spec reading is a real defect versus normal variation in a natural material
• Apply trained olfactive judgment to evaluate raw materials and finished goods using sensory skill the equipment can't replicate
• Run triangulation testing on outgoing product to confirm it matches prior batches before it reaches a customer
• Make accept/reject calls in real time, multiple times a day, escalating only genuinely ambiguous cases to the QC Manager
• Step in and cover QC sign-off when the QC Manager is unavailable, keeping finished-goods flow moving rather than stalling
• Maintain and run lab instrumentation (GC/MS, photosampler, flash point testing, colorimeters), including calibration checks and upkeep
• Maintain audit-ready lab records: test logs, certificates of analysis, and equipment records
• Mentor QC Tech (L2) staff on fragrance-specific testing and olfactive judgment
• Partner across the floor with Purchasing, Warehouse, Shipping/Receiving, and Fragrance Development on sample flow and testing turnaround

Who You Are:

• Fragrance industry experience or exposure required — adjacent industries (coffee, beer, wine, alcohol roasting, flavor, cosmetics, specialty chemicals) don't clear the bar
• Comfortable making high-frequency accept/reject calls independently, without over-escalating routine judgement
• Trained nose — sensory and olfactive evaluation skill specific to fragrance raw materials and finished goods
• Strong hands‑on experience with lab instrumentation; GC/GCMS familiarity is a plus, not a requirement
• Strong documentation habits
• Comfortable stepping into a QC decision‑making role in the Manager's absence
• Technical degree preferred (Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related); equivalent hands‑on fragrance‑industry lab experience accepted in place of a degree
• On-site in Elizabeth, NJ, 5 days a week

What We Offer:

• Real Growth Path — A senior technician track with real, independent QC decision‑making authority, inside a quality function being built from the ground up
• Catered Lunch — Mon/Wed/Fri; Newark, NJ and Brooklyn shuttles
• 401(k) savings plan and employer match
• Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a high-growth company
• Flexible PTO and paid family leave
• Commuter benefits (pre‑tax transit and parking)

We are committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining an incredible team optimized for a diversity of thought, background, and approaches.

For all Full-Time Employees, compensation is just one component of Osmo’s total rewards approach, which is designed to support the well‑being, growth, and long-term success of our team members. Depending on the role, this may include base salary or contract-based pay, along with access to health, dental, and vision coverage; a 401(k) retirement savings plan with company match; flexible paid time off and company holidays; and equity or incentive compensation for eligible roles. Actual compensation will vary based on factors such as experience, skills, location, internal equity, and other relevant business considerations. Osmo regularly reviews pay ranges and compensation structures to ensure they remain competitive, equitable, and aligned with current market data.

All employment decisions and responsibilities are determined based on current ability and your ability to grow, without regard to race, color, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status, physical, mental, or sensory disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.