Senior Scientist

📍 London, N4
🏛️ 4 days in our office, 1 day from home (choose from Tue–Thu)
💰 £55 - 65k per annum + equity 

About Shellworks

At Shellworks, we’re on a mission to make plastic waste a thing of the past. We’ve created a new generation of materials - sustainable, high-performing, and designed to disappear. All of our materials are broken down by microorganisms in the soil. By reimagining how plastics are made, we’re tackling one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.

You’ll be joining a team of experts in materials science, design and manufacturing who are obsessed with sustainability and innovation.

Key Responsibilities 

• Holds an engineering degree with a focus on materials, polymers or a related field, with at least 2 years of industry experience.

• Brings a solution focused, results-driven mindset and a strong willingness to learn - This is a hands-on role that requires curiosity and initiative.

• Collaborate daily with our manufacturing and engineering teams. You’ll ensure your formulations are "manufacture-ready" stable, repeatable, and optimised for industrial-scale extrusion and molding.

• Act as the technical bridge between our design and commercial teams. You will translate customer requirements into concrete chemical specifications, ensuring our materials meet the aesthetic and functional needs of the world's biggest brands.

• As a member of a dynamic team, you won’t just stay in your lane. You’ll jump in wherever needed from vetting new sustainable feedstock suppliers to identifying and researching new opportunity spaces.

Our Ideal Candidate 

• Holds a Masters / PhD in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, or a related field, with at least 2 years of industry experience.

• Deep command of chemistry fundamentals, with the ability to connect microstructure to macro-material properties.

• Is solution-focused and results-driven with a strong willingness to learn whatever it takes to succeed.

• Is highly agentic and thrives in fast-moving, unstructured environments - you’re always the one spotting opportunities, building structure from scratch, and moving projects forward without waiting for instruction.

• Has a bias to action and is confident making decisions independently, even with incomplete information

• A true team player who actively avoids silos and prioritises interdisciplinary problem solving.

• A logical thinker and clear communicator, who proactively brings clarity when there is confusion or ambiguity

• A competent project manager who can lead, mentor and be a role model to junior scientists

• Able to travel monthly and is capable of handling goods up to 25kg in weight.

What we offer

🌴 28 days holiday + statutory holidays

🥙 Daily catered lunch at the office and team socials
💚 Heka wellbeing allowance - to spend on what matters to you - gym, therapy, nutrition, learning, fertility and menopause support, and lots of other options!
🩺 Virtual GP - same or next day appointments and private prescriptions delivered to you
🚲 Cycle to work scheme - buy, subscribe to, or share a bike with savings of up to 42% via salary sacrifice
👍 Competitive salary + equity options
📚 Growth and development opportunities as we scale

👶 Enhanced parental leave - 12 weeks maternity at full pay, 6 weeks paternity at full pay
🐚 A tightly knit, passionate team making a real impact

Join Us

Becoming a part of Shellworks means being part of a team that’s passionate about sustainability and innovation. Our world-class team includes experts in materials science and visionary entrepreneurs dedicated to creating a better future. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible.