Sensory/Olfactive Quality Manager

Who we are at Osmo:

Osmo is the Olfactory Intelligence company, on a mission to give AI a sense of smell to improve the health and wellbeing of human life. Why? Our sense of smell has the ability to delight us, protect us, and heal us.

Olfactory Intelligence has applications across industries including fragrance, 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.

We're headquartered in Elizabeth, NJ, with an additional office in Somerville, MA. We provide complimentary shuttle service from Brooklyn and Newark, NJ.

About the Role

This is a ground-floor opportunity to build and lead Quality Control at Osmo. You'll own quality on both ends of the plant, raw materials coming in and finished fragrance going out, using real fragrance-industry judgment that automated testing alone can't provide. You'll have the autonomy to build the program end to end and the trust to make real-time calls from day one.

What You'll Do

• Own Raw Material Quality — Judge incoming material results from automated testing, deciding when an out-of-spec reading is a real defect versus normal variation in a natural material.

• Apply Trained Olfactive Judgment — Evaluate raw materials and finished goods using olfactive evaluation the equipment can't replicate.

• Protect Finished Goods Quality — Run triangulation testing on outgoing product to confirm it matches prior batches before it reaches a customer.

• Build the QC Program — Design and continuously improve the process, documentation, and systems this function runs on, picking up from groundwork already laid.

• Make the Call — Decide accept or reject in real time, multiple times a day, escalating only genuinely ambiguous cases.

• Fix What's Broken — Spot gaps in the current process and drive the fix, rather than operating inside a system someone else already defined.

• Own Investigations — Lead root cause analysis on non-conforming materials, out-of-spec results, and customer quality concerns, and drive corrective actions.

• Run the Lab — Maintain lab documentation, SOPs, method records, and equipment calibration and qualification.

• Track Quality KPIs — Monitor and report on QC turnaround time, effectiveness, and recurring issues.

• Build the Team — Grow and lead a QC team as headcount is added.

• Partner Across the Floor — Work directly with Purchasing, Warehouse, Shipping and Receiving, Fragrance Development, Production, and the internal AI team on raw material and finished goods decisions.

Who You Are

• 5+ Years in Fragrance QC — Direct fragrance industry experience required; adjacent industries like flavor, cosmetics, or specialty chemicals don't clear the bar here. 8 to 12 years is ideal.

• A Builder, Not Just an Operator — You've stood up or fixed a QC process before, not only executed inside one someone else built.

• Trained Nose — Organoleptic and sensory evaluation skill specific to fragrance raw materials and finished goods.

• Independent Decision-Maker — Comfortable making high-frequency accept or reject calls without over-escalating routine judgment.

• Quality Systems Fluent — Working knowledge of quality documentation, audits, and CAPA/root cause processes in a regulated manufacturing environment.

• Direct Communicator — Low-bureaucracy, thrives in a fast-moving, still-being-built environment.

• Technical Degree Preferred — Bachelor's in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific field preferred; equivalent hands-on experience or equivalent military experience accepted in place of a degree.

• On Site in Elizabeth, NJ — In the plant 5 days a week.

What Success Looks Like (First 6-12 Months)

Establish a real, working quality QC program from a process and systems standpoint, building on the groundwork already started. Qualify raw materials at scale. Get product to customers cleanly and consistently, without holds or rejections after the fact.

What We Offer (Full Time Roles Only)

• Ground-Floor Ownership — Build a quality function from the foundation up, not maintain someone else's finished system.

• Real Growth Path — Room to grow into a Director of QC role as Osmo scales to multiple sites, with potential to grow the function into a broader quality department.

• Catered Lunch — Mon/Wed/Fri; NJ and Brooklyn shuttles

• 401(k) savings plan and employer match

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a high-growth company

• Flexible PTO and paid family leave

• Commuter benefits (pre-tax transit and parking)

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.

Every posting lists the pay range and benefits for that role. Where you land in the range depends on skills, experience, scope, and internal equity. Full time employees receive a total rewards package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, a healthcare FSA, a 401(k) with company match, flexible paid time off, paid family leave, company holidays, and commuter benefits. Eligible roles also receive equity, which is subject to the terms of the equity plan and board approval and is not guaranteed. Applicants and employees may ask about and discuss their pay without retaliation.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Osmo is an equal opportunity employer. We hire, develop, and promote based on skills, experience, and potential, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, nationality, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related conditions, gender identity or expression, transgender status, sexual orientation, marital, civil union, or domestic partnership status, familial or caregiver status, disability, genetic information, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, military or veteran status, liability for military service, hair texture or protective hairstyle, arrest or conviction record consistent with applicable law, unemployment status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. This commitment covers every part of employment, including hiring, job assignment, compensation, discipline, benefits, and training.

Accommodations: If you need an accommodation to apply or interview, tell us at [email protected]. Your request is confidential and will not affect how we evaluate you. Please reach out before your first interview so we can plan with you.

Recruiting & Staffing Agencies: Osmo does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Please do not send resumes to Osmo employees or any Osmo address. Osmo is not responsible for fees on unsolicited submissions unless the Talent Acquisition team has engaged you directly in writing.

Work authorization: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Each posting states whether visa sponsorship for employment is available for that role. All new hires must complete identity and employment eligibility verification (Form I-9) after an offer is accepted.