With a strategy centered on people and sustainability, Braskem is engaged in contributing to the value chain to strengthen the Circular Economy. Braskem’s 9,000 team members dedicate themselves every day to improving people's lives through sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics. With its corporate DNA rooted in innovation, Braskem offers a comprehensive portfolio of plastic resins and chemical products for diverse industries, such as food packaging, construction, manufacturing, automotive, agribusiness, health and hygiene, and more. With 40 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Germany, Braskem exports its products to clients in over 70 countries.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, and a New Renewable Innovation Center in Boston focused on leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and advanced materials. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.
Department:
Innovation & Technology
Location:
Renewable Innovation Center - Lexington, MA
Travel Involved: 0-10%
Job Type:
Hybrid
Hiring Manager:
Daniel MacEachran
Grade: 12
Description
Braskem, a global leader in the production of bio-based materials, has recently opened a new renewable research and development facility in Lexington, MA. This new 35,000 SFT facility will bring together scientists and engineers from a variety of disciplines to ideate and develop novel technologies for the production of bio-based chemicals and materials.Braskem America is seeking an exceptional, highly motivated analytical scientist to work on cutting edge technology in the renewable chemicals space.
The successful candidate will support research on the discovery/design, testing, and engineering of biochemical pathways in the context of, microbial strain engineering projects and fermentation process development. Strong technical, organizational, and communication skills, as well as the ability to develop creative solutions to challenging problems, are essential.The ideal candidate will be a member of a team tasked with the discovery and laboratory development of novel biochemical pathways to produce renewable chemicals and materials. Within this context the candidate will be responsible for developing and executing chromatography, mass-spectrometry and other methods required for testing and analysis of engineered microbes and QC of fermentation and purification processes.
Additional Responsibilities and Activities Include:
- Apply knowledge and pattern recognitionto solve problems.
- Serve as a mentor to junior members of the analytical team.
- Serves as a technical consultant the pathway engineering and process development teams.
- Communication of data to stakeholders on other Braskem teams.
- Troubleshooting and maintenance of instrumentation when data is out of spec or instruments fail.
- Serve as point person for communication with internal procurement team and outside vendors.
Requirements:
The ideal candidate will have a deep and broad knowledge within the field of analytic chemistry in support of metabolic engineering and/or fermentation-based bioproduction processes. Candidate must also be familiar with modern analytical methods in the areas of gas-, liquid-, and ion-chromotography, mass-spectrometry and metabolomics. Creativity, entrepreneurship, initiative and good critical judgment are essential for this role. Strong technical and interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively with other departments and those outside the Renewable Chemicals Innovation Center.
Track record of implementing creative and innovative technologies. Demonstrated excellent verbal & written communication skills.
Required Skills, Education, and Experience:
- Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering, biochemistry, or a related field.
- 10 - 15 years of post-doctoral industrial experience.
- Extensive laboratory experience analyzing microbial strains for the production of chemicals or proteins.
- Strong background in analytical chemistry and/or QC analysis in support of metabolic engineering projects.
- Working knowledge of analytical statistics (standard deviations, coefficients of variance, regression analysis, etc.) and software packages (e.g., JMP, MATLAB, etc.).
- Must be highly motivated with exceptional communication, leadership, and teamwork skills.
- Experience working with automated and/or high throughput liquid handlers (Hamilton, Echo, LC autosamplers, etc.) is highly desired.
- Experience with organizational methodologies (e.g., LEAN) to improve process efficiency and quality a plus.
- Experience with computer programing languages (Python, C++, Matlab) is a plus.
What we offer
At Braskem we offer more than just a competitive base pay package. Out total rewards package includes a wide range of benefits that you need for every stage of your life. Out benefits include:
- Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits
- Retirement Benefits
- Maternity and Paternity Leave
- Life Insurance
- Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Teladoc
- A wide range of voluntary benefits like Pet Insurance, Legal and ID Theft Insurance
- Flexible work schedules like 9/80 schedules for eligible team members
Candidates must be currently eligible to work in the United States without the need for any type of sponsorship now or in the future. Braskem is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees pursuant to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
If you require reasonable accommodation as part of the application process please contact the Talent Acquisition team.
