Director, R&D Operations

About the role

Osmo is digitizing the chemical world to improve our lives and the health of our planet. We built the first AI platform capable of predicting olfactory perception from molecular structure, and we are now scaling into a new type of fragrance house. Our bottleneck is no longer just the "Digital Brain" - it is the physical throughput of our laboratory and the breadth of applications we can deliver into. Reporting directly to the COO, you will be the architect of our Scientific Operations. You own the "Atoms-to-Bits" pipeline at a strategic level, and you own the applications layer that turns molecules into real products - fine fragrance, laundry, candles, personal care, and the next category we take on. Your mission is to apply first-principles thinking to R&D, transforming a bespoke laboratory into a high-velocity data factory that can deliver across application bases at scale - including the 100k+ vial sample throughput required to keep pace with our model training pipeline. You set the 1-2 year roadmap for liquid handling, sample prep, lab automation, and applications development. You partner with the COO & CTO and cross-functional leadership to drive technical requirements into software, automation, and manufacturing. You build the standards, the budget, and the team. If there is a physical sample in the building - in any base - you own the system that moves it. Ownership Outcomes: The First 12 Months Success in this role is defined by volume, velocity, applications breadth, operational uptime, and the strength of the org you build: Set the Scientific Ops Roadmap: Define the 1-2 year strategic plan for R&D operations, including capex priorities, automation investments, applications expansion, and headcount. Own the operating budget end-to-end. Own the Applications Portfolio: Set the strategy for which application bases Osmo invests in and when. Build the operational capability to deliver fragrance into EtOH, laundry, candles, and the next set of categories on the roadmap - including key customer programs - at the quality bar a fragrance house demands. Scale the Data Factory: Establish the operational systems required to generate, track, and deliver 100k+ vial samples per year for model training, with full data capture compliance. Industrialize Sample Prep: Set the standards for transforming sample preparation from a manual bench process into a high-throughput operation across solvents and application bases. Bridge R&D to Production: Partner with the manufacturing team to ensure seamless transition of discoveries from lab to factory across all application formats. Establish the quality manufacturing protocols and industrial best practices that synchronize lab-scale breakthroughs with factory-scale output. Deploy Next-Gen Lab Automation: Own the roadmap for liquid handling and robotics, including the automation needed to scale applications work. Make the build/buy/partner calls on the hardware stack that will define the next level of scale. Establish Operational Excellence: Build the "Osmo Way" for scientific R&D. Set the standards for lab logistics, safety (EHS), data capture compliance, and resource allocation to ensure 100% reliability in our data pipeline. Build an Elite Ops Org: Recruit, lead, and develop a lean team of Lab Managers, Applications specialists, and Technicians. Drive a culture where "shipped data," "applications delivered," and "operational uptime" are the primary metrics.

Responsibilities

• Strategic R&D Operations
• Roadmap & Capex: Own the multi-year capital plan for lab infrastructure, automation, equipment, and applications capability. Build the capex plans for liquid handling and robotic equipment. Make the prioritization calls on where Osmo invests next.
• Standards & Governance: Define the operating standards for the lab - SOP frameworks, applications protocols, quality manufacturing protocols, data capture compliance, safety, and quality. The Manager and team execute against the standards you set.
• Budget Ownership: Own the R&D Operations budget end-to-end, including consumables forecasting, capex planning, and headcount.
• Applications Strategy
• Applications Portfolio: Set the strategy for the application bases Osmo operates in. Collaborate on when and how we bring up new categories (e.g., personal care, fabric care, home care).
• Customer Program Delivery

Benefits

Additional Information

Who we are at Osmo: Osmo is a digital olfaction company, on a mission to give computers a sense of smell to improve the health and wellbeing of human life. Why? Our sense of smell both enriches and saves lives, and has a deep and direct connection to our emotions and memory. Olfactory Intelligence has applications across industries including fragrance, manufacturing, security, medicine, and more. We believe in the power of automation and thoughtfully applied AI/ML to solve problems beyond the reach of human intuition alone. Osmo is headquartered in Elizabeth, NJ, with an additional office in Somerville, MA.

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