Process Development Scientist, Biocatalysis

cascade-biocatalysts; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

You will partner with the founding team, own outcomes, and shape science and culture. Ideal candidates have industrial or CDMO biocatalysis experience and comfort balancing cost and performance.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in biochemistry, chemical engineering, organic chemistry, or a related field with a strong biocatalysis or heterogeneous catalysis focus.
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in process development including scale up, continuous improvements and commercial biocatalysis development.
• Demonstrated ability to improve process performance against real commercial targets, including yield, cost, throughput, not just feasibility.
• Experience with techno‑economic modeling and process analytical tools.
• Familiarity with DOE‑driven development and comfort using data systematically to guide decisions.
• Experience working across disciplines, including protein engineering, analytical chemistry, and engineering, and translating between scientific and commercial priorities.
• Prior experience at a biocatalysis‑focused company, CDMO, or industrial process chemistry group strongly preferred.
• Comfort operating in an early‑stage environment with limited resources, ambiguity, and ambitious goals.

Responsibilities

• Own biocatalytic process development end‑to‑end, from initial hits to optimized ready‑to‑scale processes
• Run and optimize enzymatic reactions, driving process intensification by improving space‑time yield, reducing enzyme loading, extending catalyst lifetime, and lowering overall process costs
• Collaborate with our enzyme immobilization team to evaluate and implement biocatalyst formats
• Evaluate and implement new equipment and process analytical technology solutions
• Lead and grow a small process development team over time, mentoring junior scientists while maintaining a technical culture and standards
• Build and maintain techno‑economic models tracking key process metrics: E‑factor, PMI, catalyst cost contribution, and downstream processing implications
• Interface with protein engineering efforts, translating process bottlenecks into enzyme engineering targets and back‑integrating improved variants
• Contribute broadly across the organization: at this stage of the company, the most impactful team members bring their expertise to problems beyond their core scope
• Strong communication skills and ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional and dynamic environment across a variety of programs

Skills

Biocatalysis

Process development

Scale-up

Techno-economic modeling

Education

PhD or MS in biochemistry/chemical engineering

Tools

Process Analytical Technology

Job description

Job Title: Process Development Scientist, Biocatalysis

Location: Denver, CO (on-site)

Type: Full-time

Job Description: Cascade Biocatalysts is building the next generation of industrial biocatalysts and is seeking a hands‑on Process Development Scientist, Biocatalysis to join and lead our biocatalytic process development, intensification, and scale‑up efforts.

This is a foundational role at Cascade Bio. You will be the person who builds our process development function, setting technical direction, establishing SOPs and standards, and owning the path from bench‑scale proof of concept to a process that works at commercial scale. You will work directly with the founding team, with ownership over outcomes and the opportunity to shape not just the science but the culture and direction of the company.

The right candidate is a subject matter expert on commercial biocatalysis and is as comfortable running reactions at the bench as they are thinking about cost per kilogram and scale‑up implications. The ideal candidate comes from a biocatalysis‑focused company, CDMO, or industrial process chemistry group, and is now ready to bring that instinct and experience to a place where their work will have direct and visible impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Own biocatalytic process development end‑to‑end, from initial hits to optimized ready‑to‑scale processes
• Run and optimize enzymatic reactions, driving process intensification by improving space‑time yield, reducing enzyme loading, extending catalyst lifetime, and lowering overall process costs
• Collaborate with our enzyme immobilization team to evaluate and implement biocatalyst formats
• Evaluate and implement new equipment and process analytical technology solutions
• Lead and grow a small process development team over time, mentoring junior scientists while maintaining a technical culture and standards
• Build and maintain techno‑economic models tracking key process metrics: E‑factor, PMI, catalyst cost contribution, and downstream processing implications
• Interface with protein engineering efforts, translating process bottlenecks into enzyme engineering targets and back‑integrating improved variants
• Contribute broadly across the organization: at this stage of the company, the most impactful team members bring their expertise to problems beyond their core scope
• Strong communication skills and ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional and dynamic environment across a variety of programs

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in biochemistry, chemical engineering, organic chemistry, or a related field with a strong biocatalysis or heterogeneous catalysis focus
• Minimum of 4 years of experience in process development including scale up, continuous improvements and commercial biocatalysis development
• Demonstrated ability to improve process performance against real commercial targets, including yield, cost, throughput, not just feasibility
• Experience with techno‑economic modeling and process analytical tools
• Familiarity with DOE‑driven development and comfort using data systematically to guide decisions
• Experience working across disciplines, including protein engineering, analytical chemistry, and engineering, and translating between scientific and commercial priorities
• Prior experience at a biocatalysis‑focused company, CDMO, or industrial process chemistry group strongly preferred
• Comfort operating in an early‑stage environment with limited resources, ambiguity, and ambitious goals

Equal Opportunity Employer

Cascade Bio is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage diversity in the workplace and strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.