Head of Strain Development
I'm partnering with a venture-backed industrial biotechnology company developing an AI-enabled bioproduction platform designed to manufacture high-value ingredients using engineered microorganisms. Having successfully moved beyond proof-of-concept science, the business has secured significant funding, established fermentation capabilities, generated patented discoveries and is now scaling towards industrial deployment.
They're looking for a Head of Strain Development to lead the scientific engine behind that ambition. This is an opportunity to take ownership of strain engineering strategy, build a scalable development platform and deliver the production strains that will underpin the company's future success. The company is initially focused on astaxanthin and beta-carotene, with ambitions to build a broader portfolio of industrial ingredients over the coming years. You'll work at the intersection of:
- Metabolic engineering
- Synthetic biology
- Fermentation
What You'll Be Responsible For
Deliver commercially relevant production strains
- Develop next-generation astaxanthin production strains
- Support future ingredient programmes from research through industrialisation readiness
Build a scalable strain development platform
- Integrate metabolic engineering, protein engineering and screening capabilities
- Develop processes capable of supporting a growing ingredient portfolio
- Identify pathway, cofactor, transport, toxicity and regulatory bottlenecks
- Apply rational design, directed evolution and molecular engineering approaches
- Translate biological insights into measurable performance improvements
Lead and develop the team
- Manage and mentor scientists and technicians
- Establish clear scientific standards and operating procedures
- Build a culture of accountability, ownership and continuous improvement
Remain scientifically hands-on
- Troubleshoot critical technical challenges
- Review data and guide scientific decision-making
- Support high-priority programmes directly when required
What They're Looking For
Technical Experience
- MSc or PhD in Metabolic Engineering, Synthetic Biology, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology or related discipline
- 10+ years of relevant experience, including PhD experience
- Demonstrated success engineering microbial production strains
- Deep expertise in metabolic engineering
- Strong protein engineering knowledge, including directed evolution and rational design
- Strong molecular biology background, including construct design, cloning and transformation
- Strong experimental design and data-analysis capability
- Experience working with industrial IP and commercially relevant technologies
Leadership Experience
- Experience managing scientists and technicians
- Ability to develop strain engineering strategy from first principles
- Strong decision-making and prioritisation skills
- Commercial awareness and understanding of scale-up challenges
- Clear communication and leadership capability
Package
- Significant equity participation
- Health insurance for you and your family
- Team events and lunches