(m/w/d)

Who we are:

DUDE CHEM is a Green Chemistry startup with its origins in the German Cluster of Excellence in Catalysis at the University of Technology Berlin. We are a small but mighty team which is dedicated to fulfil our mission: Based on the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry we aim to build a green chemical-pharmaceutical industry. The industry currently consumes >13% of all fossil resources, most of them during the manufacturing. Our aim is to change this.

In order to achieve this goal, we have built a strong IP portfolio and validated the tech onto the market in order to reduce or reuse expensive resources in the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

We believe that digitalization can be an integral tool for the implementation of greener, more sustainable production processes.

This is why we combine both scientific disciplines – digitalization and sustainability – in all of our projects. Over the last years, our team has proven that our approaches work and created hard competitive advantages in the core of the value chain of their customers.

Why we need you:

We are expanding our development team in order to bring our first, greener manufactured products into the plants. Further, many customers are approaching us in order to get our support and help them to produce in a more sustainable and controlled way. Thus, we need your help to develop greener synthesis routes as part of our Green Chemistry team.

In this role you will support our development team with your know-how in greener synthesis design, the development of our green chemical processes in the lab, and scale-ups to the manufacturing plant. You will support us in establishing and shaping our process chemistry capabilities and strategy as the company grows into the future.

If you want to develop innovative green chemical manufacturing processes, bring them from the lab scale into the plant scale and have a real positive impact on the world, you are the perfect match for us!

Tasks

Results we expect:

As a Synthesis Chemist we expect you to design green routes of synthesis (RoS) and validate them in the laboratory. You will be working in a multidisciplinary team developing our green processes, using your organic chemistry knowledge and creative problem-solving skills.

• Identification of greener synthesis routes for commercially interesting products based on literature and patent research as well as on your own scientific background and experience.
• The integration of renewable feedstocks, starting materials from “waste”, as well as newest scientific technologies to reduce CO2 equivalents in the routes whenever possible.
• Estimated probability of success for the different synthesis steps. If required, we’ll teach you how to do it!
• Synthesize material to demonstrate the proof-of-concept of your ideas as well as the technical feasibility.
• Your interpretation of MS and NMR analyses data and recommendations/ conclusions on how to proceed.
• Summaries of your work for customers and the management (written reports and presentations, both in English).
• Presentations of our findings as well of our experience in video calls, personal meetings or on conferences will be also part of the jobs (also in English).

Requirements

Skills and attitudes that might be helpful:

• Degree (M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing or PhD, or equivalents) in chemistry, natural sciences, or a related discipline.
• We are looking for an expert in the retro-synthesis of important classes of natural products. Somebody how is a “walking encyclopedia” on transformations/name reactions with great knowledge in synthetic techniques and new technologies.
• You should feel comfortable to handle uncertainty and make estimations based on a limited amount of information without panicking.
• In times of high time pressure, you don’t lose control and you are still able to work. Instead of despair, you organize yourself and set priorities.
• You don’t wait for others to solve your problems and you don’t easily lose your faith.
• Getting results is what drives you but you know that even the best results are only valuable if they are reproducible. Your working attitude is “Quick & Clean”
• You like to exchange and discuss scientific and technical challenges with others, although it takes some time of your working day because you understand it very well that the whole is more than the sum of its part.
• You are also not afraid to communicate and exchange with other team members from sales, marketing, etc. even if you don’t have a clue what they are talking about
• Your entrepreneurial spirit allows you to work proactively as well as economically.
• Excellent writing, oral communication, as well as presentation skills are an added value, i.e. a firm knowledge of handling Microsoft templates in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• In the case of tensions, we expect that you are able to respectfully discuss things at eye level.
• Experience in working with agile methods is a plus.
• Hands-on attitude: we will happily clean your coffee cup if you forget it – will you have a problem in doing the same for us?
• Experience working in multidisciplinary teams, and with external partners.
• Experience in leading initiatives and projects.
• Good organizational and time-management skills
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to translate between different technical languages and understandings.
• Being fluent in English is a must, in German a plus.

Benefits

What we offer:

We regard your skills as well as your conscience as our highest assets. We provide every team member with a veto right on projects, e.g. if you don’t want to work for a specific customer due to moral reasons. There were several occasions that also our CEO used this right.

We offer you an unlimited work contract and flexible working hours (results orientation), with the options to work from home at least one day per week. You will be part of an extremely motivated interdisciplinary team, giving you all the possibilities to further develop yourself and to help us to build an industry anew.

DUDE CHEM strives to be a diverse and inclusive workplace where we can ALL be ourselves. We encourage job applications from people of all genders, backgrounds, and communities.

We are consequently state-of-the-art driven and we promise that we will always listen to your ideas. Our dynamic and flat hierarchies enable us to flexibly adapt our organizational structure to the level of expertise required in a project. Sometimes you will learn and sometimes you will have the lead in a project.

Open communication and direct feedback are values that we live every day. The conviction to do something that creates a positive impact in the world drives us forward. We are a young, enthusiastic team that likes each other very much and we’d be very pleased if you’d be interested in working with us!

Unfortunately, we neither are able to pay you BASF salaries, nor are we able to pay them to ourselves. However, we will do our best to pay you a competitive salary, considering your individual needs and the specific circumstances you are in. Additionally, you will receive stock options from our employee stock option pool so that you can participate in the success of the company. 28 days holiday per year, as well as an entirely paid for annual ticket for the public transport (“Deutschlandticket”) come on top of that.

We provide you with organic fruits, coffee & tea and water in our offices and labs in Berlin. It is important for us that you develop professionally, thus we support and offer coachings and job relevant trainings to you. Lastly, we have frequent company socials to just have some fun.

Anything else you need? Just let us know! :-)

Let’s transform the industry for the better, together!

How you can apply:

Send your CV, cover letter, and expected annual gross salary and anything else which you consider relevant for us to our team:

We are very much looking forward to hearing from you!