Senior Quality Specialist (100%)

About the job

• Quality Ownership & Purpose: You ensure robust quality control and quality assurance for sorbent materials and related QC processes in a dynamic scale‑up environment, delivering compliant, inspection‑ready outcomes and reliable product decisions within the QC scope. 

• Quality Control Execution: You plan and coordinate QC campaigns for sorbents and related materials, and you oversee measurements to meet workload and timelines. You review and approve QC data within defined QC specifications and testing standards and maintain inspection‑ready documentation and records in SAP QM and linked systems. 

• Quality Assurance Ownership: You manage deviations and change controls arising from QC activities and QC‑owned processes, ensuring accurate root‑cause analysis with preventive actions. You are responsible for method validation activities, ensuring accuracy and timely execution, and you prepare/support audits on QC topics, including supplier‑related evidence and follow‑ups. 

• QC Process Improvement & Risk Management: You identify bottlenecks across QC processes and documentation as well as data handling, release workflows and handoffs, apply risk‑based thinking to propose and implement lean improvements that reduce rework, cycle time and compliance risk, and contribute to the implementation and maintenance of LIMS and SAP QM. 

• Interfaces & Collaboration: You act as the QC technical interface to suppliers and manufacturers, support Procurement with commercial and contractual topics, and support the Product Owner on applications and operations discussions while aligning timelines and QC deliverables with plant requirements. 

• Decision Rights: You decide on QC record content quality and investigation strategy to ensure compliance with SOPs and QC standards. You recommend corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and risk mitigations to approvers, as well as QC metrics and reporting routines aligned with the Product Owner and Operations, and escalate issues that could affect product quality, compliance, or delivery timing to the line manager. 

• Educational background: You hold a degree in Chemistry or Analytical Chemistry; an advanced degree is a plus and strong applied laboratory experience is essential. 

• Industry experience: You bring at least five years of industrial experience in a relevant field such as specialty chemicals, polymers, resins, or advanced materials manufacturing, with a proven track record in quality control and quality assurance.  

• Analytical expertise: You are confident with material characterization and release testing, for example GC, IC, HPLC, FTIR, TGA, BET surface area, moisture and elemental analysis, and particle size methods, and you choose fit for purpose methods for routine release and investigations.  

• Method validation and data integrity: You have deep expertise in method validation and verification, including designing protocols, defining specifications and acceptance criteria, estimating measurement uncertainty and detection limits, and ensuring data integrity across the full data life cycle.  

• Quality systems and documentation: You have proven expertise in building and maintaining inspection ready documentation, authoring SOPs, test methods and work instructions, and operating within ISO based quality frameworks in fast growing environments.  

• Supplier and manufacturer audits: You are experienced in planning and conducting supplier and manufacturer audits on QC topics, assessing quality systems and measurement capability, gathering evidence, and driving effective corrective and preventive actions through to closure. 

• Digital tools and collaboration: You work fluently with LIMS and SAP QM for sample management, specification control, results review and release workflows, and you collaborate confidently with suppliers, manufacturers, Procurement, Product Owners and Operations. 

• Communication: You communicate clearly and pragmatically in English. 

Our promise: At Climeworks, you are accepted for who you are, and we are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply – regardless of background, identity, or experience. Studies show that women and individuals from minority backgrounds often only apply for jobs when they meet 100% of the listed criteria. If this sounds like you, don’t hold back. If you think you’d make a great fit for this role, we’d love to hear from you, even if you don’t check every single box. Let’s tackle one of humankind’s greatest challenges together.

What we offer:

• Time Off: Enjoy 25 paid vacation days every year, plus public holidays.

• Flexibility: Work how it suits you best. We offer a hybrid work setup and up to 4 weeks of remote work annually within any EU country.

• Ownership: Fair base pay paired with an equity package – because your contributions matter.

• Family Support: Inclusive parental leave.

• Continuous Learning: Dedicated budget to invest in your professional growth.

• Referral Rewards: Help us grow our team and earn bonuses for your successful referrals.

Salary: At Climeworks, salary ranges are assigned to a job based on the level of seniority and the location specific market median of similar jobs according to external benchmark surveys. Individual compensation depends on your skills, experience, and the value you bring to the team.

Formalities: 

• This position is based in Opfikon, Zurich, and we ask that you work onsite at least three days per week.

• The percentage in the job title means flexibility – choose full-time or part-time based on what works for you.

• We do not accept candidate profiles through recruitment agencies.