Senior Fermentation Operations Lead — Pilot Plant

Watershed Ventures; West Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 71,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

BMC Ingredients in West Sacramento, CA, is seeking a Senior Fermentation Operations Specialist to lead upstream and downstream fermentation activities at the pilot plant, supporting production and R&D. You will interface with process equipment, instrumentation, control systems, and lab systems per SOPs and batch protocols.

You will be responsible for safe operations, batch documentation, SOP development, and driving process improvements in fermentation and downstream operations.

Qualifications

• BS in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, or related fields.
• 2–3 years of direct fermentation operations experience at pilot, demo, or production scale.
• Operates large-scale plant equipment with mechanical aptitude and safe response to issues.
• Aseptic technique as required.
• Follows and writes standard operating procedures.
• Operates basic laboratory analytical equipment and logs data.
• Strong problem-solving, troubleshooting, and analytical thinking.
• Works with minimal supervision and takes initiative across processes.
• Effective oral and written communication with supervisors and team.
• Flexible schedule, including outside regular hours and weekends.
• Physical: lift 50 lbs; stand/walk; climb ladders/stairs; push/pull equipment; handle chemicals.

Responsibilities

• Plan, lead, and execute fermentation R&D projects and process optimization.
• Monitor fermentation parameters and troubleshoot to inform future runs.
• Maintain and sterilize upstream/downstream equipment; optimize within unit operations.
• Execute batch protocols, pilot plant start-ups/shut-downs, sampling and testing.
• Work with raw materials and production under GMP and approved procedures.
• Complete batch tracking, review production records; write SOPs.
• Promote and implement safety programs and controls.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Fermentation operations

Pilot plant operations

GMP compliance

Aseptic technique

SOP writing

Laboratory equipment operation

Data logging

Safety leadership

Team collaboration

Flexible scheduling

Manual lifting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or Biochemical Engineering

Tools

Laboratory analytical equipment

Process instrumentation

Job description

BMC Ingredients in West Sacramento, CA, is seeking a Senior Fermentation Operations Specialist to lead upstream and downstream fermentation activities at the pilot plant, supporting production and R&D. You will interface with process equipment, instrumentation, control systems, and lab systems per SOPs and batch protocols.

You will be responsible for safe operations, batch documentation, SOP development, and driving process improvements in fermentation and downstream operations.