Senior Synthetic Chemist - Sorbent Innovation Lead (80-100%)

In this role, you will apply deep synthetic chemistry expertise to design, synthesize and evaluate next-generation sorbent materials for Direct Air Capture. You will take scientific ownership of early-stage material innovation, connect synthesis decisions with performance data and help identify the most promising sorbent concepts for further development. You will play a central role in coordinating across stakeholders to ensure alignment of research priorities, technical development and broader organization goals. The role is ideal for a hands-on chemist who enjoys driving technical work independently while collaborating closely with experts across characterization, engineering, scale-up, legal, and external innovation.This role is a strong fit if you:You are a hands-on synthetic chemist, ideally with experience in material synthesis or functional material development.You enjoy working as an individual contributor and technical expert, while effectively coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders.You want to stay close to lab-based experimentation, synthesis, characterization, and scientific problem-solving.You are motivated by early-stage RD and material innovation, with a passion for dynamic, discovery-driven environments.What you will do:Design and synthesize new sorbent materials: You develop and improve sorbent chemistries for Direct Air Capture, with a focus on performance, durability, cost and scalability.Evaluate material performance: You plan experiments, analyze characterization and adsorption data, and connect synthesis decisions with structure-property relationships.Identify promising concepts: You screen internal and external sorbent concepts against clear technical, commercial, regulatory, scalability, and IP-related criteria.Drive hands-on laboratory work: You run safe, well-documented synthesis and testing campaigns, maintain structured material data, and translate results into recommendations.Collaborate and coordinate across disciplines: You work closely with experts in characterization, engineering, scale-up, legal, patents and external innovation to move the most promising sorbent concepts forward.Senior Synthetic Chemist – Sorbent Innovation Lead (80–100%) at Climeworks in Opfikon, Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland. #J-18808-Ljbffr