SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Osmo is a digital olfaction company developing AI/ML-powered technology to give computers a sense of smell, with applications across fragrance, manufacturing, security, and medicine. This is a ground-floor opportunity to build and lead the Quality Control function from the foundation up.
You will own quality across the entire plant—from raw materials coming in to finished fragrance going out. Your responsibilities include:
- Judging incoming raw material test results to distinguish real defects from normal variation in natural materials, using fragrance-industry expertise that automated testing cannot replicate.
- Conducting olfactive (sensory) evaluation of raw materials and finished goods to assess quality beyond what equipment can measure.
- Running triangulation testing on outgoing product to confirm consistency with prior batches before customer shipment.
- Designing and continuously improving the QC process, documentation, systems, and standard operating procedures.
- Making accept/reject decisions in real time, multiple times daily, escalating only genuinely ambiguous cases.
- Identifying and fixing gaps in current processes rather than simply operating within an existing system.
- Leading root cause analysis on non-conforming materials, out-of-spec results, and customer quality concerns; driving corrective actions.
- Maintaining lab documentation, SOPs, method records, equipment calibration, and qualification.
- Monitoring and reporting on QC turnaround time, effectiveness, and recurring quality issues.
- Growing and leading the QC team as headcount is added.
- Partnering directly with Purchasing, Warehouse, Shipping and Receiving, Fragrance Development, Production, and the internal AI team on material and finished goods decisions.
Within the first 6–12 months, you will establish a working QC program from a process and systems standpoint, qualify raw materials at scale, and ensure product reaches customers cleanly and consistently without post-shipment holds or rejections.
Osmo is headquartered in Elizabeth, NJ, with an additional office in Somerville, MA. The company provides complimentary shuttle service from Brooklyn and Newark, NJ. This role requires on-site presence in Elizabeth 5 days per week.
The company offers catered lunch (Mon/Wed/Fri), 401(k) with employer match, competitive salary and meaningful equity, flexible PTO and paid family leave, and commuter benefits (pre-tax transit and parking).
REQUIREMENTS:
- 5+ years of direct fragrance QC experience (8–12 years ideal). Adjacent industries such as flavor, cosmetics, or specialty chemicals do not meet the requirement.
- Demonstrated experience building or fixing a QC process, not only executing within an existing one.
- Trained nose with organoleptic and sensory evaluation skills specific to fragrance raw materials and finished goods.
- Comfortable making high-frequency accept/reject decisions independently without over-escalating routine judgment.
- Working knowledge of quality documentation, audits, CAPA, and root cause processes in a regulated manufacturing environment.
- Direct communicator who thrives in a fast-moving, still-being-built environment with low bureaucracy.
- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related scientific field preferred; equivalent hands-on experience accepted in place of a degree.
- Must be on-site in Elizabeth, NJ, 5 days per week.
