Associate Chemist

MUST BE A US CITIZEN DUE TO CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS

Title:

Associate Chemist

Work Location:

Largo, FL 33773 US

Travel Required:

~15%

Labor Category: SCI 1

FLSA Status:
Exempt

Reports to:

Algorithm Lead

Save Lives by Building Next-Gen Spectral Libraries for Real-World Chemical Threat Detection

U.S. citizen (required; must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information).

Degree: MS in Chemistry, or BS in Chemistry with 1-2 years of relevant experience

On-site in Largo, FL on a 4×10 schedule (Monday – Thursday).

Comfortable working in a laboratory environment with lasers, solvents, and PPE.

Willingness to travel occasionally (typically ~15%) for field collections or training.

Meticulous attention to detail; enforces a high bar for process quality and documentation.

Comfortable with repetitive, precise work (naming, versioning, metadata hygiene) and committed to data integrity.

Strong chemistry foundation with curiosity and a growth mindset.

Communicates clearly and professionally across multidisciplinary teams and with external partners.

Proficient with Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); familiar with Python (or similar) for basic data handling.

Confident handling chemicals, maintaining SDS references, and operating lab equipment safely.

Reliable, organized, and unflinching about enforcing process standards.

You will immediately contribute to the curation, quality control, and documentation of Alakai Defense Systems’ deep-UV Raman spectral library—a critical component in identifying hazardous chemicals across defense, security, and industrial applications.

• Supporting in-lab data collections and assisting with algorithm development.
• Maintaining library governance, including naming conventions, synonyms/CAS references, version control, and release documentation.
• Contributing to chemical safety procedures and assisting with inventory management, labeling, and segregation.

• Take increasing operational ownership of the library’s ingest and QC processes.
• Coordinate data collections through partner organizations (occasional travel required).
• Research and advise on priorities for new chemical additions to the library.
• Enforce strict quality controls and documentation standards for all new entries.
• Learn the nuances of Raman spectroscopy and apply your chemistry background to analyze spectra.

• UV-Raman spectroscopy and associated metadata standards.
• Quality control concepts (repeatability, SNR, LOD/LOQ surrogates).
• Database schema design and interaction with internal SQL-based tools.
• SOP authorship, version control, and traceability for scientific data.
• Field-collection coordination.

Alakai Defense Systems, Inc. is a defense contractor specializing in the invention, development, and production of next-generation standoff sensor and technology solutions. We focus on laser and electro-optic remote sensing and systems integration to detect trace molecules of military and forensic significance, including explosives, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), CBRNE threats, and narcotics.

Founded in 2003, with years of success in consulting, Science and Technology (S&T), Research and Development (R&D), and prototyping for government customers, Alakai has earned international recognition. Our culture is defined by professionalism, agility, and innovation. We are a small, collaborative, and entrepreneurial team that consistently delivers breakthrough technologies to protect those who protect us—at home and abroad.

• Safe Harbor 401K.
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance.
• Short-term and Long-term Disability Insurance.
• PTO and Holidays.
• Workw…