Resumes without cover letters will be ignored
Who We Are
Vanguard Laboratory is a small, family-owned startup analytical lab in Olympia, WA. We analyze food, agricultural, drinking water, environmental samples and a diverse portfolio of peptides, SARMs/SERMs, nootropics, and supplement actives. Accredited by WA Dept. of Ecology and A2LA ISO/IEC 17025. We’re tight-knit, collaborative, and relentlessly improvement-driven.
The Role (fast-paced & dynamic)
We are hiring a Senior Peptide Analytical Scientist to lead the development, optimization, validation, and technical oversight of analytical methods for peptide purity, identity, related substances, and characterization.
This is a hands-on laboratory role with substantial responsibility for HPLC/UHPLC, LC–MS/MS, and high-resolution mass spectrometry workflows. The successful candidate will develop new peptide methods, improve existing methods, troubleshoot complex analytical issues, review data, train other analysts, and help build efficient high-throughput testing capabilities.
This is not a narrowly defined production-testing position. The right candidate will be comfortable moving between method development, instrument operation, technical problem-solving, data review, quality documentation, and routine testing as laboratory priorities change.
What You’ll Do
- Develop, optimize, validate, and implement analytical methods for synthetic peptides, peptide raw materials, and finished peptide products.
- Develop chromatographic purity methods using HPLC or UHPLC with UV/DAD and mass-spectrometric detection, as applicable.
- Develop LC–MS/MS methods for peptide identity confirmation, targeted analysis, impurity investigation, and fragment-ion interpretation.
- Perform HRMS analysis for accurate molecular-mass confirmation, isotope-pattern review, charge-state analysis, spectral deconvolution, and impurity characterization.
- Investigate peptide-related impurities and modifications, including truncations, deletion sequences, oxidation, deamidation, adducts, degradation products, and other sequence-related or process-related impurities.
- Optimize sample preparation, diluents, extraction conditions, chromatographic columns, gradients, mobile phases, source conditions, acquisition parameters, collision energies, and data-processing workflows.
- Establish efficient, high-throughput testing workflows that increase sample capacity without compromising traceability, system suitability, or data quality.
- Design and execute method validation studies, including specificity, selectivity, linearity, range, accuracy, precision, recovery, robustness, carryover, solution stability, LOD/LOQ, and measurement uncertainty, as applicable.
- Prepare validation plans, validation reports, SOPs, technical worksheets, data-review checklists, instrument procedures, and reporting templates.
- Perform and oversee routine peptide analyses when needed to support client turnaround times and laboratory workload.
- Review chromatograms, mass spectra, calibration data, system-suitability results, calculations, technical data packages, and Certificates of Analysis.
- Identify and resolve questionable or inconsistent results before reports are released.
- Troubleshoot issues involving sensitivity loss, mass accuracy, ion suppression, source contamination, carryover, peak shape, retention-time shifts, column performance, spectral quality, and instrument instability.
- Perform or coordinate preventive maintenance, cleaning, calibration, consumable replacement, and vendor service activities.
- Support investigations, corrective actions, nonconforming-work reviews, proficiency testing, internal audits, and ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation activities.
- Provide technical input to project managers and clients regarding method selection, sample requirements, analytical limitations, and interpretation of results.
- Mentor and cross-train analytical chemists and laboratory staff.
- Help establish priorities, technical standards, and scalable workflows for Vanguard Laboratory’s expanding peptide-testing program.
What You Bring
- Bachelor’s MS or OhD degree in analytical chemistry, chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical science, or a related discipline. Industry / High Throughput Highly preferred
- At least five years of hands-on analytical chemistry experience, or equivalent technical depth, in a commercial, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, supplement, contract-testing, ISO/IEC 17025, GMP, or GLP laboratory.
- Substantial hands-on experience analyzing synthetic peptides using HPLC/UHPLC and mass spectrometry.
- Demonstrated experience developing and validating analytical methods rather than only running established methods.
- Strong experience with LC–MS/MS and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Experience with QTOF, Orbitrap, or comparable accurate-mass platforms is strongly preferred.
- Strong understanding of peptide chromatography, ionization behavior, charge-state distributions, accurate-mass analysis, isotopic patterns, spectral deconvolution, and MS/MS fragmentation.
- Knowledge of common peptide modifications, degradation pathways, sequence-related impurities, sample-solubility challenges, adsorption, carryover, and stability concerns.
- Ability to independently select columns, mobile phases, gradients, source conditions, acquisition parameters, and data-processing approaches.
- Strong understanding of analytical validation, quality control, technical documentation, and defensible data review.
- Experience working within an ISO/IEC 17025, GMP, GLP, or similarly controlled quality system.
- Ability to troubleshoot analytical systems systematically and document investigations clearly.
- Ability to balance method-development projects with production-testing priorities and client turnaround requirements.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work independently, mentor others, and take ownership of technical projects from initial concept through routine implementation.
Schedule
We’re open 8:30–5:30, Mon–Fri, and offer flexibility to arrange an alternate schedule that fits your life while meeting lab needs.
What We Offer
- A culture of continuous improvement and innovation—your work directly shapes our scope and growth.
- Professional development: conferences, seminars, training.
- employer-matched 401k
- Health/Vision/Dental/Life insurance.
- Paid vacation.
- Method bonus program: $500–$2,000 for each method successfully added to our ISO 17025 or DOE scope.
- Merit-based raises tied to lab and individual performance.
How to Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter telling us why you want to work at Vanguard. Please highlight:
- Your lc-ms/ms, HRMS, GCMS, etc experience (hardware + software).
- ISO/IEC 17025 validations you led (matrices, analytes, performance figures).
- Experience with peptides and any of SARMs/SERMs, nootropics, supplements.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $64,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Did you include Cover Letter? REQUIRED
Experience:
- lc/ms/ms: 2 years (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Olympia, WA 98502 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Olympia, WA 98502: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
