Associate Scientific Project Manager

Better Dairy; City Of London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading dairy innovation firm in the City of London is looking for an Associate Scientific Project Manager. This role involves managing R&D projects with a focus on sustainability and nutrition. Ideal candidates will have a background in natural sciences and project management experience in a scientific environment. Strong communication skills and the ability to work in fast-paced settings are essential. The firm offers a dynamic team atmosphere and multiple employee perks, including a competitive salary and learning opportunities.

Benefits

Competitive salary

25 days of holiday, plus bank holidays

Access to Private Healthcare & Mental Health support

Stakeholder pension

Share Option Scheme

Weekly team lunch

Ongoing learning and development opportunities

Free on-site gym

Cycle2Work

Eye-care vouchers

Qualifications

• 1-2 years of project management experience in a scientific setting.
• Strong scientific acumen with interest in science-business interface.
• Ability to synthesize technical information and translate to commercial contexts.

Responsibilities

• Manage & coordinate R&D, commercial and regulatory projects.
• Coordinate internal technical reviews and meetings.
• Gather input from teams for progress updates.

Skills

Project management skills

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Scientific acumen

Cross-functional team collaboration

Education

Natural Sciences undergraduate/masters degree

Tools

Project Management tools/software

Job description

About Us

At Better Dairy, we are dedicated to harnessing the bioactive components of milk to create ingredients uniquely suited to our bodies and needs. Our proprietary precision fermentation technology enables us to create nutritious and sustainable dairy ingredients that are biologically indistinguishable from their traditional counterparts, all without relying on animals or harming our planet. These can then become the foundation of a new generation of products, from infant formula to dietary supplements - setting a new benchmark for science-based nutrition!

The Role

We’re searching for an Associate Scientific Project Manager with a natural sciences, biotechnology or chemistry background to join our mission to create a more sustainable future. The successful candidate will be managing various projects within Better Dairy, principally related to R&D activities. This is a critical role to design, and manage cross-team collaboration in our protein and end-product production journey to ensure timely delivery of key milestones. We would love to meet candidates who thrive in fast-paced environments and have a passion for nutrition and sustainability.

We are looking for project management skills, experience with structured approaches (e.g. Agile, PRINCE2, As Is - To Be, MoSCoW etc.) and the ability to manage commercial milestones within scope, budget, and timeline constraints whilst establishing constructive working relationships with internal project teams and external stakeholders. A significant advantage would be a comprehensive understanding of the experimental process and its inherent risks and considerations, ideally gained through prior hands-on experience in a laboratory research environment.

Influencing effectively without direct authority and successful stakeholder management are so important in this role. The successful candidate will also be comfortable presenting at every level and enjoys a high accountability/high autonomy environment.

Responsibilities

Internal Project Management:

• Manage & coordinate R&D, commercial and regulatory projects
• Coordinate and facilitate internal technical reviews and meetings, ensuring clear agendas, effective discussion, and timely follow-up on action items
• Gather input from teams to collate and report progress updates for Monthly Steering and All Hands meetings
• Own the internal cross-functional reporting process and Gantt. This includes identifying key goals, risks and working with relevant stakeholders to track and troubleshoot. This includes proactively raising project risks with the senior team and C-suite and managing mitigating actions to closure.
• Further improve the cross-functional communication and reporting (between scientific and commercial senior team inc. C-suite) to ensure clarity and transparency against our key company goals in a timely manner.
• Drive internal projects of high strategic and operational importance, such as execution of cross-functional process changes and coordination of grant applications.

External Project Management:

• Support with management of external R&D projects with partners
• Support with management of scale up or manufacturing activities with external partners (such as contract manufacturing organizations)
• Oversee the administration of active grants, ensuring compliance with funding requirements, timely reporting, and effective coordination across project teams and support with the submission of new grant applications

Essential Skills & Experience

• A minimum of 1-2 years of project management experience in a scientific setting
• Natural Sciences undergraduate/masters degree, ideally Biology or Chemistry
• Strong scientific acumen, with an interest in the interface between science and business functions
• Experience working with cross-functional teams
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Ability to effectively synthesize technical information and translate it to commercial contexts, and vice-versa
• Proactive, self-driven and results-oriented with the ability to work with high levels of ambiguity

Desirable Experience

• Project Management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2)
• Practical experience in a laboratory environment
• Experience with Project Management tools/software
• Experience within a startup environment

Working at Better Dairy

At Better Dairy you will join a dynamic and diverse team that is excited and motivated to build this future for dairy. We've been ranked #7 on the 2024 Startups 100 Index and made the Europas 100 Hottest Startups list in 2024. We cultivate a fast-paced, enjoyable environment, believing it to be an exceptional platform for career growth. Everyone here is dedicated to addressing a monumental challenge and we embrace the journey with enthusiasm and have fun along the way.

We’re proud to have been featured in a range of global publications and programs. Our state-of-the-art lab and office facilities are situated in Hackney Wick. We pride ourselves on a genuinely diverse and collaborative culture. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we guarantee that all qualified applicants will receive impartial consideration for employment, irrespective of any protected characteristics. We also celebrate our diverse workforce, striving to foster a climate where mutual respect flourishes, varied perspectives are valued, and every individual feels empowered to bring their authentic self to work and thrive. We champion an agile working culture across all our roles.

Some of the perks our team can enjoy include:

• A competitive salary
• 25 days of holiday, plus bank holidays
• Access to Private Healthcare & Mental Health support services
• A stakeholder pension
• Share Option Scheme
• Weekly team lunch
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Free on-site gym
• Cycle2Work
• Eye-care vouchers