Vector Design Lead — Crop Transformation

EIT - Ellison Institute of Technology; Oxford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

EIT - Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford, United Kingdom, seeks an experienced Vector Design Manager to lead the transformation vector design and genome editing reagent development for crop programmes. You will own the upstream design-to-vector-release process, ensuring constructs are robust, traceable, and compliant with commercial and regulatory standards.

The role requires deep molecular design expertise, strong operational discipline, and the ability to coordinate with legal, IP,

Qualifications

• PhD in plant biotech or related field with extensive industry experience.
• Expertise in plant vector design for crop transformation, including binary vectors and expression cassette design.
• Strong knowledge of genome editing technologies (CRISPR/Cas, multiplex editing, base/prime editing).

Responsibilities

• Lead vector design strategy for gene edited and transgenic crops, including architecture and marker choices.
• Translate objectives into transformation-ready vector designs for multiple delivery systems.
• Develop commercial-grade design rules considering regulatory needs and event quality.
• Own design-to-vector-release process with traceability and QC.
• Manage DNA synthesis, cloning, and QC workflows with external providers.
• Collaborate with event delivery and genotyping teams on assay strategies.
• Maintain vector inventory and documentation using ELN/LIMS.

Skills

Vector design

CRISPR/Cas systems

Multi-gene constructs

Transformation workflows

Benchling/SnapGene/ Geneious

Sequence annotation & review

Documentation & SOPs

Communication to stakeholders

Education

PhD in Plant Biotechnology

MSc with industry experience

Tools

Benchling

SnapGene

Geneious

Vector NTI

Job description

EIT - Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford, United Kingdom, seeks an experienced Vector Design Manager to lead the transformation vector design and genome editing reagent development for crop programmes. You will own the upstream design-to-vector-release process, ensuring constructs are robust, traceable, and compliant with commercial and regulatory standards.

The role requires deep molecular design expertise, strong operational discipline, and the ability to coordinate with legal, IP,