Analytical Chemist, OTC Method Development in a Growing Personal Care Contract Manufacturer | 3621264

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Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of a well-established personal care contract manufacturer headquartered in the Ottawa, IL area. Operating from a 200,000+ square foot facility with 400+ employees, this company produces hair care, skin care, over-the-counter (OTC) drug, and household goods products for major consumer brands. They have not slowed down — not even during the pandemic — and are now scaling their OTC capabilities significantly, which is exactly why this role exists.

The hiring manager put it plainly: "We are increasing our OTC capabilities, and rather than spend a fortune sending everything out for testing, we want to be able to develop the methods, validate them, and run them in house."

- You have real bench chemistry experience in personal care, cosmetics, or OTC manufacturing — not just academic or research lab work

- You are self-directed and do not need someone checking in on you daily to get things done

- You want to own a body of work rather than inherit a locked-down method library

- You are energized by a fast-moving, production environment, not a slow-paced corporate research setting

- You are ready to contribute immediately; the team does not have time to build from scratch with you

You will report directly to the Manager of Research and Development (R&D) and Regulatory Affairs, and work alongside formulation chemists, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing teams. This is a first-shift, Monday through Friday role at a 200,000+ sq ft manufacturing facility in Ottawa, IL.

The core of this role is method development and validation for OTC products — the company is building these capabilities in-house and needs someone who can take ownership of that work. You will also support raw material characterization, finished product analysis, and product stability programs. This is not a support role; it is a contributor role with room to grow as the OTC division expands.

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- Develop, optimize, and validate analytical methods for OTC active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), raw materials, and finished goods using UHPLC (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography), gas chromatography (GC), FTIR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy

- Design and execute method validation protocols in line with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and applicable regulatory requirements

- Analyze and interpret data, investigate anomalies, and prepare clear technical reports

- Characterize raw materials and finished products to support formulation development and manufacturing decisions

- Partner with formulation chemists to troubleshoot technical challenges and optimize product performance

- Support product stability programs and analytical investigations

- Maintain accurate laboratory records, notebooks, and protocols

- Stay current on emerging instrumentation and analytical techniques relevant to the personal care and OTC space

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- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or Analytical Chemistry (Chemistry-specific strongly preferred)

- 1 to 3 years of hands-on laboratory experience in personal care, cosmetics, OTC, or pharmaceutical manufacturing

- Hands-on experience with UHPLC and/or HPLC — you should be able to describe specific instruments you have operated and matrices you have worked with

- Experience developing, optimizing, or validating analytical methods (not just running established ones)

- Comfortable working independently in a cGMP-regulated manufacturing environment

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- Experience with OTC drug products, API assay methods, or impurity testing

- Familiarity with ICH, USP, or FDA analytical chemistry requirements

- Experience with stability testing and specification development

- Pharmaceutical background with hands-on API detection and validation work is welcome if personal care or OTC application is clear

: $62,000 to $85,000 depending on experience; top of range for candidates with proven OTC method development track record

: None (base only)

: First shift, Monday through Friday, on-site

: Ottawa, IL — approximately 85 miles southwest of Chicago; LaSalle, Peru, and Joliet are all within commuting range; cost of living significantly below the Chicago metro

: Considered for strong candidates

Interested? Apply via LinkedIn and we'll be in touch. Confidential search; your application is fully private.

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