About Us
VentureOne is building a new AgTech venture, focused on an innovative hydrogel to enhance soil water retention in arid conditions. The aim is to address regional issues around water scarcity and soil quality that limit crop productivity. The solution reduces irrigation and fertilizer needs while improving yields, enabling more efficient and resilient farming in desert environments.
About The Role
We are seeking a Materials Industrialization Lead to take a novel lab-developed hydrogel agricultural input from bench formulation to repeatable pilot batches and first commercial manufacturing. This is a zero-to-one industrialization role for someone who has helped turn a lab product, formulation, or material into a manufacturable product. You will own the manufacturing pathway: process architecture, batch repeatability, critical process parameters, raw-material controls, pilot readiness, CMO/toll-manufacturer requirements, early QA/QC, and scale-up risk reduction. The ideal candidate is hands-on, comfortable with ambiguity, and has operated in early-stage, pilot-scale, or new-product industrialization environments — not only in large, fully established chemical production plants.
This is a 12-month contract position.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the lab-to-pilot industrialization plan for a hydrogel-based agricultural input
- Translate lab formulations into a practical, repeatable manufacturing process
- Define process flow, batch logic, critical process parameters, in-process controls, and repeatability checks
- Run and assess pilot or repeat batches to understand variability, yield, quality, and scale-up constraints
- Identify scale-up risks across mixing, hydration, drying, stabilization, moisture control, raw-material variability, packaging, storage, shelf life, etc.
- Convert formulation know-how into batch records, process maps, QC checkpoints, BOM inputs, and CMO-ready production requirements
- Evaluate and work directly with external manufacturing partners, toll manufacturers, or pilot facilities for technical fit
- Define early QA/QC requirements for incoming materials, in-process checks, finished-product testing, and release criteria
- Recommend formulation or process changes to improve manufacturability, cost, robustness, and launch readiness
- Support the transition from pilot batches to first commercial supply
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, Process Engineering, or related field
- 8+ years of experience in materials, polymers, specialty chemicals, agri-inputs, absorbent materials, formulation scale-up, or pilot manufacturing
- Experience defining a manufacturing process where one did not fully exist before
- Proven experience taking a lab, bench, or prototype material into pilot-scale or first commercial manufacturing
- Strong understanding of batch behavior, process windows, raw-material variability, yield, quality variation, and scale-up failure modes
- Experience working with CMOs, toll manufacturers, pilot plants, contract labs, or external industrial partners
- Comfortable working in early-stage environments with incomplete data, evolving specifications, and limited historical process knowledge
- Strong technical documentation skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with hydrogels, polymers, absorbent materials, soil amendments, agri-inputs, specialty chemicals, or water-retention materials
- Experience with agricultural, water-efficiency, environmental, or field-deployed products
- Familiarity with packaging, stability, shelf life, moisture control, and logistics for physical materials
- Experience setting up early QA/QC systems for pilot or first commercial manufacturing
- Network of pilot plants, toll manufacturers, CMOs, polymer processors, or specialty chemical partners
- Experience in UAE, GCC, MENA, arid-climate agriculture, or water-scarce environments
How To Apply
Are you ready to embark on an exciting journey with VentureOne If you're a visionary with a passion for innovation, we want to hear from you. To apply, please send your resume detailing your relevant experience and why you're the perfect fit for this role.
At VentureOne, we believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation. We are committed to creating an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Join us in shaping the future of business. Apply today and let's venture into a world of possibilities together!
