Quality Control Chemist, Bench QC and Batch Adjustments, Weekend Shift with Four Days Off Every Week

Work three days, have four off, and run the quality control bench yourself.

This is a weekend shift, Friday through Sunday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, on-site. If you want your weekdays back without leaving the lab, this is the trade.

Company

Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a contract manufacturer of hair care, skin care, and over-the-counter (OTC) products in north central Illinois. They make the products that go out under brands you would recognize, and the quality control lab is the last word before anything ships.

Who thrives here

• Chemists who want the bench, not a desk. This is hands-on testing all day.
• People who can run a shift without someone looking over their shoulder. On weekends the lab is quiet and the calls are yours.
• Anyone who likes doing the batch math and owning the adjustment rather than escalating it

If you need a senior chemist down the hall to check your work, or you are looking for a research or method development role, this is not that job.

The opportunity

You are the quality control chemist on the weekend shift, testing in-process, bulk, and finished product across hair care, skin care, and OTC lines, and feeding results straight back to the production floor while batches are still live. The hiring manager was direct about what matters: this is a team that cannot afford anyone who cuts corners, because of what gets released.

What you will own

• Run in-process, bulk, and finished product testing and evaluate results against specification
• Calculate and execute batch adjustments so product meets spec before it moves
• Operate, calibrate, and troubleshoot pH meters, viscometers, conductivity meters, centrifuges, and total solids equipment
• Flag quality concerns to production in real time and investigate out-of-specification results
• Keep testing records, documentation, and compliance files clean under standard operating procedures (SOPs) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) requirements
• Work with Production, research and development (R&D), and Regulatory on troubleshooting and continuous improvement

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry. This one is firm, not a preference, and related science degrees are not a substitute.
• 1 to 3 years of hands-on quality control testing in a manufacturing environment
• Background in personal care, cosmetics, or OTC product manufacturing
• Comfortable performing batch calculations and making adjustments from your own analytical results
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Available for the Friday through Sunday weekend shift, on-site

Bonus points

• Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) experience
• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) experience
• GMP documentation and investigation experience
• Interest in growing toward a lead or supervisor role

Compensation and benefits

• Compensation: Competitive base salary, depending on experience. We share the full range on our first call.
• Bonus: No annual bonus. Straight salary, and we would rather say so up front.
• Schedule: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Location: On-site in Ottawa, Illinois, about 85 miles southwest of Chicago
• Relocation: Relocation assistance available for the right candidate

Interested? Apply with your resume and we will be in touch. Your application stays private.

Pave Talent | Hiring Reimagined

Pave Talent and our client are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.