Director, Product Science & Development

The Role

Responsibilities

• Extraction Science – Solvent-Based (Cured & Fresh-Frozen Live)
• Own the science behind solvent-based (e.g., hydrocarbon) extraction of both cured and fresh-frozen live cannabis, optimizing yield, potency, and terpene retention.
• Manage fresh-frozen live resin extraction, maintaining cold-chain and cryogenic handling from harvest through extraction and accounting for the elevated moisture of fresh-frozen inputs, to preserve volatile terpenes and produce live products (live resin, sauce, badder, diamonds).
• Develop and refine parameters across the extraction workflow – material prep and moisture, solvent ratios, temperature and pressure, winterization/dewaxing, decarboxylation, and solvent purging – to meet target product specifications.
• Optimize post-processing (distillation, terpene reintroduction, high-terpene-extract production) for cured- and live-resin inputs destined for vape.
• Characterize inputs and outputs (cannabinoid and terpene profiles, residual solvents) and translate analytical results into process adjustments.
• Extraction Science – Solventless (Ice-Water Hash & Rosin)
• Own the science behind solventless extraction, including ice-water hash washing and rosin pressing.
• Optimize wash parameters (agitation, water temperature, micron fractions, drying/freeze-drying) and press parameters (temperature, pressure, time, bag micron) to balance yield and quality.
• Develop cold-cure and post-press handling protocols that preserve terpene content and texture for vape-bound rosin.
• Establish grading and selection criteria for solventless material moving into vape formulation.
• Vape Formulation
• Formulate vape products from both solvent-based extracts (distillate, cured resin, HTE) and solventless inputs (live/cured rosin), tuning viscosity to specific cartridge and hardware platforms.
• Optimize terpene incorporation and blends (cannabis-derived and botanical) for flavor, potency, and stability.
• Engineer against clogging, hot spots, hardware/material interactions, discoloration, and flavor drop-off.
• Establish stability, viscosity, and clarity controls (e.g., preventing separation or crystallization) across shelf life.
• Process Development & Optimization
• Design and run bench and pilot experiments (DOE) to improve yield, quality, consistency, and cost across extraction and vape formulation.
• Translate optimized bench processes into repeatable, documented production procedures and support technology transfer to extraction and cartridge-filling teams.
• Author SOPs, formulas, and specifications for extraction and vape processes.
• Quality, Stability & Compliance
• Define product and process specifications and stability/shelf-life programs for extracts and vape products.
• Partner with QA/QC and analytical labs on potency, terpene, residual-solvent, pesticide, and heavy-metal testing; interpret COAs and drive corrective action on out-of-specification results.
• Ensure extraction and formulation processes comply with applicable state cannabis regulations and safety standards, including solvent-handling requirements.
• External Testing Oversight
• Own and run GTI’s national external testing program end to end, serving as the primary point of accountability and the direct liaison to all contracted third-party laboratories.
• Hold third-party laboratories accountable for the accuracy, integrity, turnaround, and compliance of test results across the facility network, and adjudicate disputed or out-of-specification outcomes.
• Qualify and periodically re-evaluate third-party labs and maintain the roster of approved testing partners.
• Track and trend third-party lab performance – turnaround times, failure rates, dispute and retest outcomes – and translate testing signals into extraction and formulation process improvements.
• Develop and enforce external testing SOPs, dispute-resolution protocols, and COA and accreditation documentation, keeping them aligned with state regulations and in partnership with Quality, Compliance, and Procurement.
• Collaboration
• Partner with Innovation as the scientific lead on new product development – assessing feasibility, developing formulations and methods, and guiding concepts from ideation through launch – across vape and the broader infused-product portfolio, including edibles and other marijuana-infused products (MIPs) that rely on the extracts and distillate this role produces and characterizes.
• Work with extraction, production, quality, and procurement teams to support scale-up, sourcing, and continuous improvement.
• Individual-contributor role that leads through technical expertise and influence.

Required Qualifications

• Education: PhD, Master’s, or Bachelors degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Food Science, or a related scientific field – or equivalent hands-on extraction experience.
• Extraction experience: Demonstrated hands-on experience with cannabis extraction across solvent-based (hydrocarbon) and solventless (ice-water hash / rosin) methods.
• Vape formulation: Experience formulating cannabis vape products and tuning them to specific hardware.
• Technical depth: Strong grounding in extraction chemistry, terpene chemistry, and stability/shelf-life fundamentals.
• Analytical fluency: Ability to interpret COAs and potency, terpene, and residual-solvent data and translate results into process changes.
• Compliance: Familiarity with cannabis manufacturing safety and quality requirements, including solvent handling and production documentation.
• Must pass any and all required background checks
• Must be and remain compliant with all legal or company regulations for working in the industry
• Must possess valid driver’s license
• Must be a minimum of 21 years of age
• Must be approved b y state badging agency to work in cannabis industry
• The pay range is competitive and based on experience, qualifications, and/or location of the role. Positions may be eligible for a discretionary annual incentive program driven by organization and individual performance.
• Green Thumb Pay Range
• $150,000 — $180,000 USD

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct multi-state cannabis extraction experience.
• Hydrocarbon extraction experience operating in C1D1-rated environments.
• Production-scale rosin press and freeze-dry experience.
• Vape hardware qualification and terpene-formulation experience.
• Lean / Six Sigma or applied DOE / statistical-process experience.

Additional Requirements

• #LI-ONSITE