Senior Formulation Chemist, R&D
Fervo Energy•Milford, UT
•$111,000 - $180,000•Hybrid
About The Position
Fervo Energy is seeking a Senior Formulation Chemist to lead research, development, testing, and optimization of specialty chemical formulations for demanding industrial applications, particularly geothermal energy, oil and gas, and industrial water treatment. The role involves evaluating formulations under challenging operating conditions and troubleshooting chemical compatibility and stability issues. The chemist will lead laboratory R&D programs for scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, biocides, oxygen scavengers, and other water treatment chemicals, taking formulations from initial concept through laboratory validation and field qualification. The position requires regular in-office work at one of Fervo Energy’s listed office locations and follows a hybrid schedule, with employees expected to work in the office three days per week.
Requirements
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
- Five to ten years of hands-on R&D laboratory experience in chemical formulation development, specialty chemicals, polymer chemistry, materials characterization, or industrial water treatment.
- Demonstrated experience independently developing, optimizing, and validating chemical formulations.
- Strong understanding of formulation chemistry, polymer behavior, chemical interactions, thermal degradation, and materials compatibility.
- Experience with laboratory methods including chromatography, FTIR, ICP-OES, UV-Vis, GPC/SEC, NMR, and electrochemical testing.
- Experience designing experiments, analyzing data, troubleshooting formulation failures, and developing repeatable testing protocols.
- Strong technical writing, scientific problem-solving, and project management skills.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with specialty chemical vendors, chemical manufacturers, or formulation development companies.
- Direct experience in geothermal energy, oil and gas, power generation, or industrial water treatment.
- Knowledge of scale inhibitor chemistries, corrosion inhibitors, biocides, oxygen scavengers, and functional polymers.
- Experience with elevated-temperature and high-pressure testing, aggressive brines, corrosion testing, and mineral scaling evaluation.
- Experience with formulation scale-up, manufacturing quality control, and commercial product qualification.
Responsibilities
- Develop, screen, optimize, and qualify formulations for mineral scale inhibition, corrosion control, microbial control, oxygen scavenging, dispersancy, and general water treatment.
- Select and optimize active ingredients, polymers, solvents, neutralizing agents, and other formulation components to improve performance, stability, compatibility, and cost-effectiveness.
- Apply knowledge of polymer chemistry, molecular structure, functional groups, and structure–property relationships to understand and improve chemical performance.
- Troubleshoot formulation failures, including precipitation, phase separation, thermal degradation, loss of active ingredients, and incompatibility with process fluids or other treatment chemicals.
- Design and execute laboratory testing programs to evaluate chemical efficacy, thermal stability, shelf life, and compatibility with industrial materials.
- Evaluate compatibility with carbon steel, stainless and duplex stainless steels, nickel alloys, elastomers, polymers, seals, tubing, and chemical injection equipment.
- Conduct corrosion, scale inhibition, oxygen scavenging, biocide efficacy, accelerated aging, and chemical degradation studies using appropriate laboratory methods.
- Use FTIR and other analytical techniques to characterize formulations, investigate degradation mechanisms, and assess changes in chemical composition; select additional techniques as appropriate.
- Develop repeatable test methods, acceptance criteria, and quality control procedures that represent actual operating conditions.
- Apply design of experiments, statistical analysis, and systematic screening methods to optimize formulations efficiently.
- Analyze laboratory data, identify root causes of performance failures, and make evidence-based recommendations for formulation improvements.
- Evaluate interactions among chemical treatments, brine constituents, dissolved gases, pH, temperature, pressure, and wetted materials.
- Prepare technical reports, laboratory procedures, formulation specifications, and product qualification documentation.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision plan options
- Employer-paid basic life insurance
- Short-term and long-term disability coverage
- 401(k) plan with employer match of up to 6%
- Flexible paid time off
- Paid parental leave
- Family-building, fertility, hormonal health, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting support through Carrot
- Dependent care FSA for eligible child and elder care expenses
- Annual Lifestyle Spending Account for eligible wellness expenses, including fitness, financial planning, pet insurance, and pet care
- Employee Stock Purchase Program
- Long-term incentive and bonus opportunities for eligible roles
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
