The work itself.

Highland is a 60,000 square foot cGMP-certified production facility that grows, dries, extracts, and packages standardized, lab-verified nutraceutical ingredients. The work is procedural, exacting, and consequential — every batch becomes part of a customer's formulation and, downstream, part of a consumer's daily routine. We hire people who take that seriously.

The team is small. The procedures are documented. The standards are pharmaceutical-grade. The people who do well here are unflashy professionals who care that things are done correctly, the same way, every day, and who notice when something is off before anyone else does.

Current openings.

01 · CHEMISTRY

Analytical Chemist

Lead analytical work in Highland's UHPLC laboratory — owning the testing program that backs every certification, every lot, and every quality decision. Degreed chemist with hands-on instrument experience, method validation depth, and the discipline to run a cGMP-compliant analytical operation. The chemistry of every batch we ship passes through this role.

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Compensation

Salaried position. Compensation is dependent on experience and credentials.

About the role

Highland is hiring an Analytical Chemist to lead the analytical work in our UHPLC laboratory. This is a senior, hands-on role responsible for the testing program that supports every certification we hold and every lot we ship. The chemist owns method development and validation, runs the day-to-day analytical workload, generates Certificates of Analysis, and serves as Highland's technical point of contact during third-party audits. The position is suited to a degreed chemist who is rigorous, methodical, and serious about analytical work performed to pharmaceutical-grade standards.

Responsibilities

  • Own the UHPLC analytical program — instrument operation, sample preparation, sequence design, and data review
  • Develop, validate, and document analytical methods for compound assay, identity verification, and impurity profiling
  • Quantify target compounds — erinacines, hericenones, polysaccharides, beta-glucans — across every lot
  • Perform heavy metals, microbial, residual solvent, and pesticide analyses, or coordinate with contract labs where appropriate
  • Generate Certificates of Analysis for every lot released; review and approve COAs for technical accuracy
  • Support compliance verification across all certifications Highland holds (USDA Organic, cGMP, Kosher, Halal, third-party audits)
  • Lead stability studies — protocol design, sample pulls, data analysis, shelf-life determination
  • Investigate and document out-of-specification (OOS) results, deviations, and analytical anomalies
  • Perform equipment qualification (IQ/OQ/PQ) and analytical method transfers as needed
  • Serve as Highland's technical point of contact during regulatory inspections and customer audits
  • Maintain analytical records, raw data, and lab notebooks in compliance with 21 CFR Part 111 and ALCOA+ principles
  • Contribute to R&D work on cultivation, extraction, and compound standardization in collaboration with the broader team

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related field required; M.S. or Ph.D. preferred
  • Minimum 3 years of hands-on analytical lab experience in a regulated environment (pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, or contract testing)
  • Direct hands-on experience operating HPLC or UHPLC instrumentation; familiarity with mass spectrometry a plus
  • Demonstrated experience in analytical method development and validation per ICH Q2(R1) or equivalent guidelines
  • Working knowledge of cGMP and FDA dietary supplement regulations (21 CFR Part 111); pharmaceutical cGMP (21 CFR Part 211) experience a plus
  • Familiarity with USP, AOAC, and compendial methods as applicable to nutraceutical analysis
  • Experience supporting third-party audits and regulatory inspections
  • Strong technical writing skills for SOPs, validation protocols, method reports, and investigation documentation
  • Experience with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) and chromatography data systems (e.g., Empower, ChemStation, OpenLab) preferred
  • Attention to detail and the discipline to follow procedures consistently, supported by an understanding of why the procedures exist

Benefits

  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Relocation assistance

Location

On-site at Highland's Marion, North Carolina facility. This role requires relocation to the Marion area before the start date.

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02 · LAB

Lab Technician

Hands-on analytical work in Highland's UHPLC laboratory — sample preparation, instrument operation, compound assay, and quality verification on every lot. Background in analytical chemistry, microbiology, or mycology preferred. Mycological experience is a plus. Comfortable with documented procedures, lot traceability, and the discipline of pharmaceutical-grade work.

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Compensation

Starting pay $22.00–$35.00 per hour, depending on experience.

About the role

Highland is hiring an experienced Lab Technician to support its culture lab, where high-quality medicinal mushroom cultures are cultivated, maintained, and transferred for production. This is a hands-on, sterile-process role in support of Highland's research, development, and quality verification work. The position is suited to candidates who are precise, detail-oriented, and serious about applying scientific practice to a production environment.

Responsibilities

  • Prepare and sterilize substrates, growth media, and culture environments according to documented laboratory procedures
  • Perform culture transfers and maintain and optimize culture lines
  • Monitor mushroom growth stages and record environmental conditions including humidity, temperature, and light
  • Conduct quality control assessments to verify product meets internal specifications and FDA dietary supplement regulations
  • Maintain accurate records for sample tracking, growth cycles, and test results
  • Perform microbiological testing to evaluate culture health and contamination
  • Apply laboratory techniques in molecular biology and microbiology in support of ongoing R&D
  • Contribute to R&D projects optimizing cultivation methods, target compound concentrations, and species evaluation

Qualifications

  • Prior experience in an industrial or clinical laboratory setting; familiarity with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) is a strong plus
  • Strong working knowledge of laboratory procedures across mycology, microbiology, and analytical methods
  • Hands-on experience preparing media, pouring agar, performing culture transfers, and collecting samples for analysis
  • Familiarity with FDA dietary supplement regulations (21 CFR Part 111), cGMP, and quality control protocols is a strong plus
  • Experience with laboratory information management systems (LIMS) is a plus
  • Attention to detail in a sterile lab environment
  • Ability to follow detailed protocols accurately and maintain high safety and hygiene standards

Benefits

  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Relocation assistance

Location

On-site at Highland's Marion, North Carolina facility. This role requires relocation to the Marion area before the start date.

Apply for this role
03 · OPERATIONS

Production Staff

Cross-functional production roles supporting the full process — substrate preparation, inoculation, cultivation, harvest, drying, extraction, packaging, and shipping. Open to candidates with backgrounds in cGMP manufacturing, food production, agriculture, or related procedural environments. Reliability, attention to detail, and willingness to learn each stage matter more than a specific résumé.

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Compensation

Starting pay $18.00 per hour, with opportunity for advancement based on demonstrated capability.

About the role

Highland is hiring Production Staff to support hands-on factory work across the full production process. This is physical, procedural work — lifting, mixing, carrying, and operating equipment in support of the team that grows, steams, dries, processes, and packages Highland's product. The position is suited to candidates who are reliable, take pride in physical work done correctly, and are willing to learn each stage of a serious production operation.

Responsibilities

  • Lift, mix, and carry materials throughout the facility in support of daily production operations
  • Assist with substrate steaming and sterilization, following documented procedures
  • Support drying and processing of mushroom material through each stage of the workflow
  • Assist with packaging of finished product into drums, bags, and shipping containers
  • Maintain a clean, organized, and sterile work environment per cGMP standards
  • Operate production equipment safely and according to training
  • Follow documented procedures consistently and accurately, shift after shift
  • Communicate clearly with team members and supervisors about workflow, issues, and safety concerns

Qualifications

  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs repeatedly throughout a shift
  • Comfort with physical work in a production environment
  • Reliable attendance and strong work ethic
  • Willingness to learn each stage of the production process
  • Ability to follow documented procedures accurately and consistently
  • Background in manufacturing, food production, agriculture, or similar procedural environments is a plus, but not required
  • High school diploma or equivalent

Location

On-site at Highland's Marion, North Carolina facility. This role requires relocation to the Marion area before the start date.

Apply for this role

Highland accepts inquiries from candidates whose backgrounds match the work above, regardless of whether a specific opening is posted. If your experience fits and we don't have an active role, we will keep your information on file for when one opens.

◆ How to apply

Send us your resume.

Email your resume and a short note about what you're looking for, why Highland interests you, and your availability for an on-site role in Marion. We read every inquiry and will be in touch when there is a fit.

hello@highlandmushrooms.com

How we hire.

Highland is committed to hiring practices that are fair, lawful, and consistent with the standards we apply to the rest of our operation. The following applies to every role at the company.

Equal opportunity
Highland Mushrooms is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring, employment, or promotion on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
Work authorization
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Highland does not sponsor employment visas for any position at this time.
On-site requirement
All roles are performed on-site at the Marion, NC facility. Highland does not offer remote or hybrid arrangements. Candidates outside the Marion area must be willing and able to relocate before the start date. Relocation assistance may be available for certain roles; this is determined case-by-case at the offer stage.
At-will employment
Employment at Highland is at-will under North Carolina law. Either Highland or the employee may end the employment relationship at any time, for any lawful reason, with or without notice.
Drug-free workplace
Highland maintains a drug-free workplace. All employees are subject to pre-employment drug screening and may be subject to additional screening during employment consistent with applicable law and Highland's policies.
Background checks
Final candidates may be subject to a background check and employment verification consistent with applicable law. The scope of the background check is communicated to the candidate before it is conducted.

Ready to apply?

hello@highlandmushrooms.com