COO/Vice President, Engineering & Operations

Berkner Group; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock options

401K

Medical, dental, and vision healthcare coverage

15 paid vacation days

10 paid holidays

Job summary

A biotechnology firm in Sterling, VA is seeking a COO/Vice President of Engineering & Operations to lead their fermentation and purification technology development. The ideal candidate should have over 10 years of experience in R&D, a strong engineering background, and the ability to manage complex projects. This full-time role offers a comprehensive benefits package including stock options, healthcare coverage, and paid vacation days.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of industrial R&D experience with aerobic fermentation.
• Proven experience with small molecule synthesis and purification.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, optimization, and scale-up of the company's continuous fermentation process.
• Ensure compliance with industry regulations throughout all stages of process design.
• Work cross-functionally with R&D, operations, and business development teams.

Skills

Risk assessment and HAZOP experience

Strong technical understanding of aerobic fermentation

Proven ability to track, manage, and report on complex projects

Experience with negotiation with external vendors

Education

B.S. or greater in an engineering field

MS or equivalent in biological or chemical engineering

Job description

COO/Vice President, Engineering & Operations

Location: Sterling, VA

About the Company

Our client is an industrial biotechnology company revolutionizing chemical production with its patented bioreactor technology. Its mission is to make high-performance renewable chemicals affordable. The company operates at the intersection of biology and hardware engineering to build a new kind of continuous flow bioreactor that leverages the innate features of its platform organism. This team believes that innovations occur at the intersection of disciplines and seeks candidates who thrive at the interface between engineering, biology, chemistry, and materials science. The company is backed by leading venture funds including SOSV, Closed Loop Ventures Group, GS Futures, and First Bight Ventures.

About the Role

The COO/Vice President, Engineering & Operations will have demonstrated experience in supporting a wide variety of functions critical for the development of a product-focused biotechnology platform, as well as ensuring continued operational success. More specifically, the candidate will lead the design, development, and implementation of the company’s continuous fermentation and product purification technology. This role requires a strong background in scaling from pilot plant to commercial production, aerobic or anaerobic fermentation, downstream process design and process simulation, and a firm understanding of unit operations to achieve desired product quality and cost. Preferably, the candidate will have hands‑on experience interfacing with scaling partners, especially EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) firms. The candidate should be comfortable working and making decisions in a fast‑paced, multidisciplinary environment.

Full-time opportunities at this company come with:

• Benefits package that includes company stock options, 401K, and employee + dependent medical, dental, and vision healthcare coverage.
• 15 paid vacation days and 10 paid holidays per year

Primary Job Responsibilities

Process Design and Scale Up

• Lead the design, optimization, and scale‑up of the company’s continuous fermentation and downstream purification process design for a broad range of specialty, fine chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
• Work with industry partners to develop process flow diagrams, utility flow diagrams, P&IDs (including controls strategies), and heat and mass balances
• Support process simulation models through acquisition of physical property data.
• Analyze data from pilot plants and laboratory experiments to validate unit operations and key process parameters.
• Collaborate with EPC contractors to execute engineering development, process design packages, and procurement strategies for new facility.
• Oversee the interface between engineering teams and the manufacturing floor to ensure successful process implementation and commissioning of recycling units.
• Identify and implement process design improvements to enhance performance, reduce emissions, and optimize energy usage.

Operations

• Ensure compliance with industry regulations and environmental standards throughout all stages of process design and execution.
• Work cross‑functionally with R&D, operations, and business development teams to align technological solutions with business goals.
• Work closely with operations team to schedule production to meet customer needs.
• Develop and manage training tools to enhance operator performance and skill development.
• Manage customer relationships and perform customer visits and sample testing.
• Support development of analytical methods to ensure data reliability and process validation.
• Manage the Company’s quality control program.

Required Traits, Skills and Competencies

• Risk assessment and HAZOP experience.
• Strong technical understanding of aerobic fermentation, process chemistry, understanding of standard chemical synthesis techniques, and chemical engineering unit operations.
• Proven ability to track, manage, and report on the progress of complex projects, and to consistently meet deadlines.
• Proven ability to use statistical methods to design, analyze, and interpret the results of complex experimental programs.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and technical skills required to work across functional areas and with customers to gather and maintain information required for product development activities.
• Experience with collaboration and negotiation with external vendors to keep projects on track and on schedule.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. or greater in an engineering field.
• 10+ years industrial R&D experience with aerobic fermentation, process chemistry, process engineering, small molecule synthesis and purification or similar.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or equivalent in biological engineering or chemical engineering.
• Expertise working with teams to build and iterate on biology or chemistry motivated technoeconomic analysis.
• Experience working in a GMP facility.
• Experience working with a venture capital backed company through one or more financing rounds.
• Experience working with project management software systems.

Berkner Group has been retained to execute this search. If you were contacted by Berkner Group, please reply to the person who contacted you. If you are applying to a job posting, please email your resume and a brief introduction to [e-mail]. Please include your name and the title for this position (“[Your name] - COO/VP Ops - W3X5W986”) in the subject line of your email. We look forward to hearing from you!