About the Role
Chemical Methods is a specialty chemical manufacturer that has served U.S. manufacturers since 1971. We help finishing, galvanizing, and anodizing operations improve quality and cut costs by pairing our chemistry with real-time process data and a disciplined continuous-improvement approach — monitor, analyze, improve. The lab is where that discipline starts.
We’re looking for a careful, procedure-driven chemistry student who wants to master a craft, not rotate through projects. You’ll work directly alongside our Lead Chemist — the 25-plus-year veteran who is the technical backbone of the company. Much of the work is independent and exact: running analyses to procedure, calibrating instruments, and keeping the lab to a high standard. You’ll own your bench and hold a high bar — on a small, tight-knit team where asking the right question is part of doing the work well. It’s the kind of role where the right person stays for years and grows, over time, toward the chemist’s chair.
Your Growth Path
- Ramp: a tiered certification path (Simple → General → Advanced, with knowledge checks), supported by modern tools including an AI lab assistant built on our own procedures.
- Year 1: master routine testing, sample analysis, reporting, and lab maintenance.
- Years 2–3: formulation support, deeper troubleshooting, and customer sample analysis with growing independence.
- Long-term: develop the full expertise of a working chemist, with a real path toward lab ownership as our Lead Chemist moves toward retirement.
What You’ll Do
- Run recurring tests on customer and process samples (pH, conductivity, titrations, fluoride, and more), then prepare and send analysis reports — exactly to procedure.
- Handle weekly/monthly customer tank-sample testing; prep samples for specialized outside testing.
- Run metalworking fluid analyses (oil, bacteria, corrosion) plus coating-weight and salt-fog corrosion testing.
- Mix reagents and titrating solutions to recipe; calibrate pH and conductivity meters on schedule.
- Blend formulation variations and run support tests under the chemist’s direction.
- Maintain the salt-fog chamber, keep the lab clean and organized, and manage chemical waste collection.
- Track inventory and reorder supplies; log results into our data system; assemble and ship titration kits to customers.
What We’re Looking For
- Working toward a bachelor’s in chemistry or a closely related field, with hands-on lab experience from coursework.
- Procedure-driven and precise — you follow SOPs, recipes, and safety protocols exactly, every time, because consistency is the result.
- Detail-oriented and genuinely curious: you notice when something is off, and you want to know why things work.
- Own your work to a high standard on your own — and flag a question early rather than guess.
- Reliable and consistent, a steady and positive presence on a small team.
- PPE (gloves and goggles) always worn; safety procedures followed carefully.
Chemical Methods (www.chemicalmethods.com) is a growing company with a clear vision: to set the standard for continuous improvement in our industry nationwide. Chemical Methods, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
Pay: $18.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
