Advanced Materials Lab Technician

Description

Job Type: Full-time

Location:

Onsite in Denver, Colorado

Status:
Non-Exempt, Full-Time

Compensation: $20.00 – $28.00 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications.

Vero Touch Science is transforming the materials that build the world. We are an industrial chemical and materials R&D and manufacturing startup, developing and producing specialty chemical systems from the ground up with a relentless focus on real-world performance.

We are focused on concrete admixtures, material additives, coatings, and specialty chemical systems - developing products in-house, taking them through production, and building the infrastructure to scale them. We own the science.

Vero Touch Science is early‑stage, hands‑on, and execution‑driven. The people who thrive here take ownership, maintain high standards, and care deeply about outcomes.

The Advanced Materials Lab Technician is a full‑time, onsite role working directly alongside Vero Touch Science’s Principal Scientist on the formulation, testing, and quality control of specialty chemical systems. Work covers both active production and early‑stage R&D, including admixture chemistry, curing compounds, surface treatments, set accelerators and retarders, coatings, material additives, and related formulations. The role requires precision, procedural discipline, and genuine engagement with the science behind what we’re developing.

• Prepare concrete admixture formulations and specialty concrete chemical compounds in accordance with established batch records, covering both production batches and experimental development runs.
• Support iterative formulation work by adjusting component ratios and raw material selection based on test results and direction from the Principal Scientist.
• Accurately measure, weigh, and combine raw materials per documented procedures, maintaining awareness of material compatibility and sensitivity to temperature and humidity.
• Maintain complete batch labeling, traceability documentation, and lab notebooks for all production and development runs.
• Support raw material qualification by running comparative trials on new supplier samples and documenting results.

• Support proportioning of trial concrete mixtures per ACI 211.1, adjusting water‑cementitious ratio, aggregate gradation, and admixture dosages to meet project or DOT specifications.
• Characterize aggregates: sieve analysis (ASTM C136 / AASHTO T 27), specific gravity and absorption (ASTM C127/C128 / AASHTO T 84/T 85), and moisture content (ASTM C566).
• Run fresh concrete tests: slump (ASTM C143 / AASHTO T 119), unit weight and air content by pressure (ASTM C138/C231 / AASHTO T 121/T 152), temperature (ASTM C1064 / AASHTO T 309), and time of set by penetration (ASTM C403 / AASHTO T 197).
• Fabricate, cure, and test hardened specimens: specimen prep (ASTM C31/C192 / AASHTO T 23/T 126), compressive strength (ASTM C39 / AASHTO T 22), flexural strength (ASTM C78 / AASHTO T 97), and rapid chloride permeability (ASTM C1202 / AASHTO T 277).
• Evaluate admixtures and cementitious materials: chemical admixtures (ASTM C494), air‑entraining admixtures (ASTM C260), and mortar compressive strength (ASTM C109).

• Clean, inspect, and organize lab equipment, containers, and work spaces between production runs in accordance with established standards, including mixing vessels, rheometers, density measurement tools, and pH meters.
• Monitor inventory levels of raw materials, consumables, containers, and lab supplies; communicate replenishment needs to the Principal Scientist in a timely manner.
• Support equipment setup, calibration checks, and breakdown before and after each production or development session, flagging any equipment issues, wear, or malfunctions for the Principal Scientist’s attention.

• Adhere to all safety protocols, PPE requirements, and chemical handling procedures; maintain working familiarity with SDS documentation for all materials in use.
• Perform QC checks on prepared…