Development Chemist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Research & Development Chemist

Location: Oceanside, CA (On-Site)
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Employment Type: Full-Time, Salaried

Join a Company That's Building Something Different

At CitroTech, we're redefining wildfire prevention through innovative, environmentally responsible fire protection technologies. Our products help protect communities, critical infrastructure, and natural resources while minimizing environmental impact.

We're a startup with the momentum of a recently publicly traded company, and we're growing quickly. Our team is developing the next generation of fire protection chemistry, and we're looking for scientists who enjoy solving difficult technical problems with real-world impact.

At CitroTech, research doesn't happen in isolation. The work you do in the laboratory quickly becomes manufacturing processes, customer solutions, regulatory submissions, and commercial products. If you're excited by the opportunity to develop chemistry that makes a measurable difference, we'd love to meet you.

Does This Sound Like You?

You enjoy solving problems that don't have obvious answers.

You're naturally curious and thrive in a fast-paced environment where every day presents a new technical challenge. You don't get discouraged when experiments don't produce the expected results, you use the data to refine your approach and move forward.

You enjoy working collaboratively, thinking critically, and balancing scientific rigor with practical manufacturing considerations. Rather than following a fixed research program, you're excited by the opportunity to develop new products, improve existing formulations, and help bring them successfully into production.

Most importantly, you're comfortable in a startup environment where priorities evolve, timelines move quickly, and your ability to think on your feet is just as valuable as your chemistry knowledge.

What You'll Do

Working closely with the R&D team, you'll help develop, optimize, and commercialize innovative fire protection products from concept through manufacturing.

Responsibilities include:

• Design, execute, and analyze laboratory experiments to support new product development
• Develop and optimize chemical formulations through systematic experimental design
• Perform wet chemistry involving aqueous formulations, organic salts, corrosion inhibitor systems, and related specialty chemicals
• Investigate technical challenges through rapid problem-solving and root cause analysis
• Optimize manufacturing and mixing processes for successful production scale-up
• Conduct basic stability studies and interpret results
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing to troubleshoot production issues and continuously improve manufacturing processes
• Work with external laboratories to design testing programs, interpret results, and refine formulations based on testing outcomes
• Maintain accurate laboratory notebooks and technical documentation
• Prepare technical reports and communicate findings to the R&D team and leadership
• Support product validation and scale-up from laboratory through commercial manufacturing
• Assist with regulatory activities involving agencies such as the EPA, USDA, and other applicable regulatory bodies
• Review scientific literature, patents, and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for innovation

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's or Master's in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related scientific discipline
• 3+ years of industrial R&D experience (advanced degrees may substitute for some experience)
• Experience in a manufacturing environment, with an understanding of how laboratory formulations translate to commercial production
• Strong background in wet chemistry and formulation development
• Experience working with aqueous systems and organic salts
• Experience developing or optimizing manufacturing and mixing processes
• Strong laboratory documentation and technical writing skills
• Excellent experimental design, data analysis, and problem-solving abilities
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Startup or high-growth company experience preferred
• Experience with fire protection chemistry, specialty chemicals, industrial formulations, agricultural chemistry, or related industries is highly desirable

What Makes This Role Unique

This isn't a role where you'll spend years making incremental changes to a single product.

You'll work across multiple formulation challenges, collaborate directly with leadership and manufacturing, and see your ideas move rapidly from the laboratory into commercial production. One week you may be improving formulation stability, the next optimizing a mixing process, developing a new product format, supporting regulatory testing, or troubleshooting a manufacturing issue.

If you enjoy variety, ownership, and solving meaningful scientific problems, you'll fit right in.

Why You'll Love Working Here

• Competitive salary
• Opportunity to help build innovative technology with real-world impact
• High degree of technical ownership and autonomy
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial research environment
• Direct interaction with company leadership and manufacturing
• Opportunity to help shape products from concept through commercialization
• Standard Monday-Friday schedule with no shift work

Compensation

Expected Salary Range: $95,000-$120,000 annually, depending on education, experience, and technical expertise.

Citrotech is a leader in wildfire protection technology, offering innovative solutions including home defense systems, mobile/ground application units, and fire inhibitor innovations. Our mission is to protect homes, communities, and property from wildfires through cutting-edge products and services.