Chemistry Procurement & Inventory Specialist (Product Operations)
About Chemify
Chemify is creating a future where the access to important molecules, drugs and new materials currently unimaginable are instantly accessible radically increasing the speed of innovation, quality of life, and reach of humanity. The company is building the infrastructure to digitize chemistry to design, make, and discover new molecules with the desired function and properties instantly and on-demand. Chemify has built a platform that combines purpose-built programming languages, robotics, AI, and the world’s largest and continuously growing database of chemical programs to accelerate chemical discovery to new, transformative heights.
Chemify is supported by some of the best investors from Silicon Valley and across the world, including Triatomic Capital, BlueYard ventures, DCVC, Founders Fund, and others.
Job Purpose
Reporting to the Head of Product Operations, the Chemistry Procurement & Inventory Specialist is responsible for the timely and cost-effective purchasing of chemicals across Chemify’s projects. The Chemistry Procurement and Inventory Specialist will also work closely with Chemify’s procurement team to provide insight to help direct Chemify’s procurement strategy.
The role holder will work closely with members of the chemistry department, project teams, procurement team, and suppliers to source scientifically appropriate materials while balancing cost, availability, and lead times. The post holder will proactively manage inventory levels across multiple projects, communicate with the project operations team to anticipate future project needs, manage chemical supplier relationships, and supports optimization and development of scalable procurement processes, systems and SOPs.
Key Responsibilities
Procurement & Sourcing:
- Use Chemify’s procurement system to identify, source, and order chemical reagents, intermediates, and related materials.
- Apply chemical expertise to recognise and evaluate alternative forms of the same compound, including but not limited to:
- Different salts or counter-ions
- Solutions at different concentrations or in different solvents
- Protected/deprotected intermediates
- Different grades or physical forms
- Identify and verify CAS numbers, chemical names, structures, and specifications prior to ordering.
- Compare and evaluate multiple suppliers for availability, reliability, price, lead time, pack size, and quality.
- Place accurate purchase orders, ensuring correct material, pricing, delivery timelines, and project allocation.
- Work with finance to improve the controls, quality, audits, and efficiency of processes.
- Work with the Quality and Operations department to implement and continuously improve business critical activities related to the supply chain.
- Build strong working relationships with vendors.
- Negotiate supply agreements with vendors to maximize savings on repeat purchases from high grossing vendors.
- Approving suppliers and maintaining the approved supplier schedule for purchase of chemicals used in manufacture.
- Develop effective and stage-appropriate processes for order requests, fulfilment, and delivery.
- Take-on growing responsibilities during the transformation of the company from an R&D-stage organization to a commercial power‑house.
Inventory & Stock Management:
- Maintain defined minimum stock levels for frequently used chemicals and intermediates.
- Monitor inventory levels and proactively trigger re‑orders to avoid project delays.
- Identify opportunities for stock rationalisation, consolidation, or cost reduction.
- Track backorders, delayed deliveries, and supplier issues, escalating where necessary.
Project & Stakeholder Engagement:
- Engage with chemistry, project, and product teams to understand current and upcoming material needs across all active projects.
- Regularly review project pipelines to anticipate future demand.
- Act as a point of contact for procurement‑related queries from scientific teams.
- Communicate clearly with internal stakeholders on availability, lead times, substitutions, and constraints.
- Ensure procurement data is accurately recorded and maintained within internal systems.
- Support the development, documentation, and continuous improvement of procurement-related SOPs and workflows.
- Contribute to process improvements that enhance efficiency, scalability, traceability, and data quality.
- Support automation and digital approaches to chemical sourcing and inventory management where appropriate.
General Responsibilities:
It is expected that individuals will, from time to time, be required to assist with certain procedures that are outside the definition of their role. As part of internal training and on‑going development programmes, employees may be required to perform duties that are defined for a higher level prior to achieving promotion. In this instance, full training and supervision will be provided to ensure that no work is compromised. Duties may be assigned by the line manager and/or CEO/COO/CTO, as appropriate.
Compliance Responsibilities
Health and Safety:
- Comply with the company Health & Safety Policy at all times.
- Follow all relevant H&S regulations when handling, ordering, or storing chemicals.
- Report hazards, deviations, or improvement opportunities to H&S representatives or management.
- Promote safe working practices across procurement and operations activities.
Quality:
- Comply with the company Quality Policy at all times.
- Work closely with Quality and Operations teams to support and maintain Chemify’s Quality Management System (QMS).
- Ensure procurement activities align with Good Scientific Practice and relevant ISO standards (e.g. ISO 9001:2015).
- Support investigations, CAPAs, and client complaints related to materials or suppliers where required.
- Participate in internal and external audits, inspections, and self‑inspections as needed.
- Contribute to the creation, review, and implementation of SOPs, work instructions, and forms.
- Promote risk‑based thinking and process‑driven approaches within procurement and operations.
Essential Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or a closely related scientific discipline.
Essential Experience and Knowledge
- Strong practical understanding of organic chemistry, reagents, and intermediates.
- Ability to recognise chemical equivalence across different forms (salts, solvates, solutions, protecting groups, etc.).
- Experience sourcing chemicals from commercial suppliers (e.g. catalogue suppliers, custom vendors, CROs).
- Familiarity with CAS numbers, chemical nomenclature, and material specifications.
- Experience using procurement, inventory, or ERP systems.
- Ability to manage multiple requests and priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
- Ability to communicate and work effectively with scientists, operations staff, and suppliers.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and/or equivalent productivity tools.
Core Skills and Competencies
- Strong organisational and time‑management skills.
- Analytical and problem‑solving mindset.
- Clear written and verbal communication (fluent in English).
- Collaborative team player with a proactive approach.
- Strong attention to detail and high standards of data accuracy.
Desired Experience and Knowledge
- Master’s degree or PhD in Chemistry.
- Experience in a laboratory, CRO, CDMO, or technology‑enabled chemistry environment.
- Experience with chemical inventory management systems.
- Familiarity with supplier qualification and quality considerations.
- Interest in automation, digital chemistry platforms, or data‑driven operations.
- Understanding of regulated environments and quality systems.
Location
Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, G11 6EW
Department
Supply Chain
Job Title
Chemistry Procurement & Inventory Specialist (Product Operations)
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