Senior Scientist, Product and Analytical Development

Join the team at Ostara to help build a sustainable future.

Senior Scientist, Product and Analytical Development

Saint Louis, MO

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Ostara is passionate about changing the way the Ag and T&O industry thinks about phosphate management. Our continuing mission is, and will remain, “Feeding the World While Protecting It.”

We believe that passionate people can make a real difference and we are building a culture around innovation, sustainability, efficiency, nimbleness, honesty, compliance, and a sense of urgency to make a positive difference and create real value. Ostara’s CG P2X® fertilizers are the first granular phosphate fertilizers to release nutrients in response to plant demand. Using Crop Driven Release™, CG P2X is proven to increase yields, enhance soil health and significantly reduce phosphate tie-up and runoff, thereby improving food security while protecting local waterways from nutrient pollution.

The Senior Scientist, Product and Analytical Development leads the development, characterization, and optimization of Ostara fertilizer products, raw materials, analytical methods, and supporting technical capabilities. This role combines product development, mineralogical and chemical analysis, manufacturing support, and technical commercialization to translate scientific findings into safe, practical, and scalable business solutions. The position serves as a subject matter expert in fertilizer chemistry and advanced product characterization, with particular emphasis on X-ray diffraction (XRD), process troubleshooting, product quality, and innovation.

• Lead bench- and pilot-scale development, screening, evaluation, and optimization of fertilizer formulations and product line extensions.
• Design laboratory simulations and technical studies that support scale-up, commercialization, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes.
• Evaluate nutrient sources, additives, process aids, and alternative raw materials for technical performance, quality, cost, and supply flexibility.
• Define experimental plans, acceptance criteria, technical risks, and recommendations for product and process development programs.
• Coordinate plant trials and convert laboratory and production results into actionable operating guidance.

• Lead mineralogical, physical, and chemical characterization of raw materials, intermediates, finished products, and competitive products.
• Serve as the technical lead for XRD method development, instrument use, data interpretation, reference libraries, models, and user training.
• Develop, validate, improve, document, and maintain analytical methods, calculations, reporting tools, and laboratory SOPs.
• Expand internal analytical capabilities, improve data reliability and turnaround time, and coordinate external testing when specialized services are required.
• Apply appropriate statistical methods and sound scientific judgment to interpret results, identify trends, and communicate uncertainty.

• Partner with Operations and Quality to investigate product variability, contamination, curing, caking, corrosion, scaling, dissolution, handling, and other performance issues.
• Use laboratory studies, production data, and plant observations to identify root causes and recommend corrective or preventive actions.
• Support raw-material qualification, supplier evaluation, product specifications, and technical change management.
• Participate in plant trials and provide recommendations that improve first-pass success, product consistency, process reliability, and safe operation.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and…