Technical Program Manager, Ingredients

Who we are at Osmo:

Osmo is a digital olfaction company, on a mission to give computers a sense of smell to improve the health and wellbeing of human life. Why? Our sense of smell both enriches and saves lives, and has a deep and direct connection to our emotions and memory. This foundational understanding of smell's impact has directly informed the development of our latest innovation: Generation.

Generation is a new kind of fragrance house powered by Olfactory Intelligence (OI) to blend AI with world-class perfumery. It will help brands create emotionally resonant scents faster, more accessibly, and with greater creative clarity. Our technology allows us to explore vast scent possibilities, discover novel ingredients, and design fragrances informed by both data and artistry.

Beyond fragrance, Olfactory Intelligence has applications across industries including manufacturing, security, medicine, and more. We believe in the power of automation and thoughtfully applied AI/ML to solve problems beyond the reach of human intuition alone. Osmo is headquartered in New York, NY, with a new facility in New Jersey, and offices in Somerville, MA.

Osmo is seeking a versatile, results-driven Technical Program Manager to lead and coordinate our ingredient discovery, synthetic chemistry, and scale-up projects. Reporting to the Director of Synthetic Chemistry, you’ll work closely with our internal chemistry experts (synthetic chemists, formulation scientists, analytical teams) and with strategic clients in consumer packaged goods, fragrance & flavor, defense, and aerospace. You will be the operational engine that drives lab workflows, pilot-scale runs, and client deliverables—ensuring seamless execution and building lasting partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

• Client & Stakeholder Partnership

  • Serve as primary liaison to clients and internal chemistry leads.

  • Translate client RFPs and technical goals into actionable project plans.

  • Cultivate deep, trust-based relationships by anticipating needs and delivering high-value, chemistry-driven solutions.

• Project Planning & Execution

  • Develop and maintain detailed roadmaps for ingredient design, route scouting, synthesis, and formulation.

  • Coordinate cross-disciplinary teams—synthetic chemists, analytical scientists, perfumers, sensory experts, and engineers—to meet technical milestones.

  • Identify and mitigate risks (supply constraints, safety/regulatory hurdles, scale-up challenges) before they impact timelines.

• Operational Excellence & Metrics

  • Define and track KPIs such as reaction yield, purity, throughput, and time-to-scale.

  • Lead regular stand-ups, steering meetings, and post-mortems to drive continuous improvement.

  • Report progress, budget status, and technical findings transparently to both clients and executive leadership.

• Process Optimization

  • Partner with lab operations to streamline workflows, reduce bottlenecks, and adopt best practices in safety and reproducibility.

  • Champion adoption of data-driven tools (LIMS, ELN) and support chemists in leveraging automation or AI-powered analytics.

• Regulatory & IP Program Management

  • Develop and manage intellectual property (e.g., patent) workflow, tracking, and data curation frameworks.

  • Enhance and oversee regulatory compliance workflows, including decision trees for new ingredient registrations (e.g., PMNs, consent orders, SNURs, global regional compliance).

  • Manage safety sample designation, shipping, and arrangements with contract research safety organizations.

  • Oversee Safety Data Sheet (SDS) management systems.

• External Partner Engagement

  • Establish and manage frameworks for collaboration with Contract Research Organizations (CROs) for discovery, expansion, and optimization.

  • Develop engagement strategies for Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs/CMOs).

Required Qualifications

• Experience

  • 3+ years of technical program or project management in a chemistry- or technology-focused organization (biotech, CPG R&D, contract research, etc.).

  • Demonstrated track record of delivering complex, multi-phase chemistry projects on time and on budget.

• Technical Savvy

  • Strong ability to integrate chemical and business requirements into clear project plans.

  • Comfortable translating synthetic routes, analytical data, and regulatory considerations for non-technical stakeholders.

• Education & Authorization

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related STEM field.

  • Authorized to work in the U.S.; able to be on-site at our East 29th Street, New York lab and office minimum three days/week.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience end-to-end pipeline management of molecule/ingredient programs from bench to pilot scale (1 kg – 100 kg).

• Background in fragrance, flavor, nutraceuticals, or specialty materials development.

• Familiarity with CRM platforms (HubSpot, Salesforce) for client tracking.

• Proficiency in Python, SQL, or similar tools for data analysis (yield trends, reaction KPIs).

• Prior exposure to process safety protocols (HAZOP, chemical risk assessments).

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, and more.

If this role inspires you we’d encourage you to apply. We are committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining an incredible team optimized for a diversity of thought, background, and approaches. All employment decisions and responsibilities are determined based on current ability and your ability to grow, without regard to race, color, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status, physical, mental, or sensory disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Osmo does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Osmo or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by the Osmo Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Osmo and Osmo will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.