Senior Fermentation Scientist: Upstream Process Lead

Valent U.S.A. LLC

Libertyville (IL)

On-site

USD 124,000 - 145,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage from day one

401(k) with company contributions

Discretionary bonus

Job summary

Sumitomo Biorational Company, headquartered in Libertyville, IL, is seeking a lead for upstream process development. You will conduct fermentation experiments in lab- and pilot-scale bioreactors to evaluate microbial strain candidates, collaborating with fermentation scientists, downstream engineers, and data colleagues to advance sustainable BioAgriculture solutions.

The role involves mentoring junior scientists, operating pilot-scale equipment, and coordinating technology transfer between R&D

Qualifications

Expertise in culturing microorganisms, including filamentous fungi, to increase metabolite productivity using aseptic techniques.
Experience training junior scientists in the use of fermentation equipment and execution of process development experiments.
High degree of competency in the Microsoft Office 365 suite and statistical analysis software.
Strong communication, presentation, and listening skills in cross-functional teams.
Willingness to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion.
Able to lift up to 25 lbs.

Responsibilities

Design and implement upstream processes to optimize strain performance of bacterial and fungal microorganisms to produce microbial products, metabolites and proteins.
Mentor junior team members by training safe and proper use of fermentation and analytical equipment required to execute process development and improvement experiments.
Provide guidance to research associates and support their professional development.
Take primary responsibility for the operation and troubleshooting of pilot scale fermentation equipment.
Design scale up and scale down experiments to execute seamless technology transfer between Research and Manufacturing operations.
Build strong relationships with supporting research departments and deliver fermentations on time or ahead of schedule to biology, downstream processing, formulations, and product development teams.
Travel to manufacturing site to launch new fermentation processes and troubleshoot current commercial processes.
Maintain and further develop collaborative relationship with the pilot and production fermentation team at the manufacturing site.
Execute sophisticated process development experiments utilizing statistical tools to ensure process robustness.
Work alongside data scientists, IT, and engineering to build and maintain a digital system to organize and archive run data and electronic batch records.
Maintain and update laboratory data and documents including electronic lab notebook and SOPs.
Conduct all work in strict compliance with all applicable safety requirements, containment requirements, standards operating procedures and/or guidelines while maintaining a clean and orderly workspace.
Work both independently and with interdisciplinary research teams while maintaining a positive and collaborative environment.