Senior Scientist: Downstream Process Development

What you will own at Wildtype

• Lead Wildtype’s downstream process development to improve Wildtype’s manufacturing operations, including supervising junior scientists and engineers
• Work directly with our Head of Process Development to innovate new processes to efficiently harvest and integrate cells on our final product
• Work with the upstream process development team to design and validate novel downstream processes and systems to achieve large-scale, high-viability cell harvests for subsequent integration with Wildtype’s industry-leading bioscaffolds
• Oversee the manufacture and integration of various downstream process systems within Wildtype’s cell cultivation facility
• Troubleshoot and optimize key process parameters (e.g., flow rates, mixing dynamics, and viability optimization strategies) to improve production efficiency
• Work with our Process Development, Scaling, and Tissue Engineering teams to create novel large scale cell-scaffold integration systems
• Interface with our production team, guiding the operations workflow for our production facilities
• Communicate and negotiate with vendors, contractors, and other outside parties
• Acquire new skills and integrate new technologies

What we’ll teach you

• How to apply your bioprocess and mechanical engineering skills to the context of our unique cultivated seafood manufacturing systems
• How to work with a fast-moving, interdisciplinary team working at the leading edge of several fields

What you bring to Wildtype

• MS or PhD in Bioprocess Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Fluidics 
• 3+ years of process development experience
• 1+ years of managing 2-4 direct reports, or leading a team. You understand how to work in and lead a diverse, team-based environment
• Hands-on experience in designing downstream processes and operating bioreactors 
• A creative and fearless approach to reinventing downstream systems for the purpose of cultivated seafood production; the types of systems you will build are the first of their kind!
• Ability to perform mass, flow, and thermal calculations and analyses on proposed process changes to accurately predict resultant changes
• Working knowledge of process engineering software packages, SolidWorks, CAD, or AutoCAD preferred
• Ability to work independently in experiment planning, design, execution, optimization, data analysis, interpretation, and communication
• Excellent organizational, communication skills and a track record of effective collaboration in complex projects
• Mission-driven, creative, and entrepreneurial

Impact Plan

• Within 1 month you will have adapted your experience in process development to Wildtype’s unique context. You will have set your professional development goals for the next twelve months.
• Within 3 months you will have assumed responsibility for Wildtype’s downstream process development, including the design, validation, operation, and maintenance of the company’s downstream processes. You will have written and operationalized standard procedures consistent with good manufacturing practices for cell harvest and delivery to our cell-scaffold integration systems. You will regularly design and test new equipment as Wildtype continues to scale its production capacity. 
• Within 6 months your efforts on R&D over the past six months will have also yielded significant improvements to Wildtype’s production efficiencies. Your leadership responsibilities will expand as our production team grows. You will have trained several new hires and built a high-performing team. You will have also defined hiring plans for the next stage of Wildtype’s growth into 2022 and 2023. You will be working closely with our leadership team to set production goals and manage output for Wildtype’s pilot plant.
• Within 12 months you will be overseeing the downstream processing of cells in the world’s first pilot-scale facility for cultivated seafood. You will be working closely with our facilities and lab managers to meet production and R&D demands. You will also be playing a key role in selecting and designing a site for Wildtype’s next production facility.