Downstream Process Engineer

Corteva Agriscience; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Four weeks PTO

Parental leave

Retirement savings plan

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Corteva Agriscience is seeking a Downstream Process Engineer to lead development and scale-up of downstream processes for fermentation-derived materials in Indianapolis. You will partner with fermentation, analytical, formulation, and scale-up teams to improve recovery, purity, yield, and transfer readiness, while mentoring associate scientists and delivering sound technical recommendations.

The role emphasizes independent work, data-driven decision making, and advancing projects from lab

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Industrial Microbiology, or related field; or MS with relevant industry experience.
• 3+ years of experience supporting scale-up, technology transfer, or manufacturing of fermentation-based products.
• Experience developing downstream processes for fermentation-derived or biological products.
• Knowledge of downstream unit operations including filtration, centrifugation, extraction, adsorption, chromatography, concentration, purification, and stabilization.
• Strong experimental design, data analysis, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Commitment to laboratory safety, documentation quality, and data integrity.
• Demonstrated success improving process performance, quality, scalability, or operational efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute downstream process development studies for fermentation-derived materials.
• Develop scalable recovery and purification strategies based on broth characteristics and impurity profiles.
• Optimize downstream processes to improve yield, quality, throughput, reliability, and cost.
• Integrate fermentation performance, analytical results, and process data to guide decisions.
• Apply experimental design and statistical analysis to solve technical challenges.
• Troubleshoot recovery, purification, stability, and scale-up issues.
• Lead downstream workstreams within cross-functional programs.
• Support technology transfer and scale-up through documentation and risk assessments.
• Evaluate and implement new downstream technologies to improve understanding and efficiency.
• Prepare technical reports, presentations, and recommendations for teams and stakeholders.
• Promote safe laboratory operations and continuous improvement practices.

Skills

Independent work

Cross-functional collaboration

Experimental design

Statistical analysis

Technical communication

Education

PhD in Chemical Engineering / Biochemical Engineering / Biotechnology / Chemistry / Industrial Microbiology (or MS + relevant experience)

Tools

DoE software

Process modeling

Data visualization / AI tools

Job description

Who are we, and what do we do?

At Corteva Agriscience, you will help us grow what’s next. No matter your role, you will be part of a team that is building the future of agriculture – leading breakthroughs in the innovation and application of science and technology that will better the lives of people all over the world and fuel the progress of humankind.

Corteva Agriscience has an opportunity for a Downstream Process Engineer. You will lead the development and scale-up of downstream processes that convert fermentation-derived materials into high-quality product streams. Working within Bioprocess Discovery and Development in Indianapolis, this role partners closely with fermentation, analytical, formulation, and scale-up teams to improve recovery, purity, yield, reliability, and transfer readiness. This position provides technical leadership in the development of recovery and purification processes for microbial products and fermentation-derived metabolites, applying sound experimental design, data analysis, and engineering principles to advance programs from laboratory development through scale-up. The engineer works with elevated independence, leads discrete downstream workstreams, and provides key mentorship to associate scientists to understand the upstream process context and material attributes that influence downstream performance and delivers sound science guiding clear technical recommendations.

What You’ll Do

• Design and execute downstream process development studies for fermentation-derived materials, including clarification, separation, extraction, filtration, concentration, and purification.
• Develop scalable recovery and purification strategies based on fermentation broth characteristics, product properties, and impurity profiles to cost targets.
• Optimize downstream processes to improve yield, product quality, throughput, reliability, and cost.
• Integrate fermentation performance, analytical results, and process data to guide development decisions.
• Apply experimental design and statistical analysis to efficiently solve technical challenges.
• Troubleshoot recovery, purification, stability, and scale-up issues.
• Lead downstream workstreams within cross-functional fermentation and process development programs.
• Support technology transfer and scale-up through process documentation, risk assessments, and manufacturing recommendations.
• Evaluate and implement new downstream technologies and tools to improve process understanding and efficiency.
• Prepare technical reports, presentations, and recommendations for project teams, capability leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Promote safe laboratory operations and continuous improvement practices.

What Skills You Need

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Industrial Microbiology, or related field; or MS with relevant industry experience.
• 3+ years of experience supporting scale-up, technology transfer, or manufacturing of fermentation-based products in industry.
• Experience developing downstream processes for fermentation-derived or biological products.
• Knowledge of downstream unit operations of fermentation broth processing, including filtration, centrifugation, extraction, adsorption, chromatography, concentration, purification, and stabilization.
• Strong experimental design, data analysis, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.
• Commitment to laboratory safety, documentation quality, and data integrity.
• Demonstrated success improving process performance, quality, scalability, or operational efficiency.

Preferred Skills

• Demonstration of several downstream processes from biologically derived actives developed into commercialized products
• Experience with DoE, statistical analysis, process modeling, data visualization, or AI-enabled tools.
• Experience leading technical workstreams and cross-functional project deliverables.

Benefits – How We’ll Support You

• Numerous development opportunities offered to build your skills
• Be part of a company with a higher purpose and contribute to making the world a better place
• Health benefits for you and your family on your first day of employment
• Four weeks of paid time off and two weeks of well-being pay per year, plus paid holidays
• Excellent parental leave which includes a minimum of 16 weeks for mother and father
• Future planning with our competitive retirement savings plan and tuition reimbursement program
• Learn more about our total rewards package here - Corteva Benefits
• Check out life at Corteva! www.linkedin.com/company/corteva/life

Are you a good match? We seek applicants from all backgrounds to ensure we get the best, most creative talent on our team.

Corteva Agriscience is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing our differences to enrich lives, advance innovation, and boost company performance. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy related conditions (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), disability or any other protected status in accordance with federal, state, or local laws.