Senior Lead Scientist: Enzyme Biochemistry & Analytics

IFF; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 159,000 - 228,000; Full time

Job summary

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. The Senior Lead Scientist in Biochemistry and Analytical Chemistry will provide scientific leadership in the discovery, characterization and development of enzymes for the Grain business, based on-site in Palo Alto, California.

You will combine deep expertise in biochemistry, enzymology, analytical chemistry and mechanistic assay development to guide multidisciplinary programs from concept through

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Enzymology, Analytical Chemistry or a related field.
• Typically 10+ years of relevant industrial and/or postdoctoral experience in biochemistry, enzymology, analytical chemistry, industrial biotechnology or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in enzyme characterization, protein chemistry and/or mechanistic biochemistry.
• Deep understanding of enzyme kinetics, reaction mechanisms, binding interactions, thermodynamics and quantitative data analysis.
• Proven experience developing, validating and implementing biochemical, enzymatic and analytical assays.
• Hands-on experience interpreting data from advanced analytical techniques used to characterize proteins, metabolites, reaction products and complex mixtures.
• Strong record of solving complex scientific problems involving biological systems, heterogeneous materials or challenging industrial substrates.
• Demonstrated scientific leadership in multidisciplinary research environments, supported by a record of publications, patents and/or technical innovation.

Responsibilities

• Lead innovative research programs in enzyme engineering, catalysis, protein chemistry and biochemical mechanisms, translating scientific questions into clear experimental strategies.
• Develop kinetic and thermodynamic models that explain enzyme performance and guide protein engineering priorities and decision-making.
• Investigate enzyme interactions with complex matrices, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, plant-derived materials, fermentation broths and other industrial substrates.
• Develop, validate and deploy robust biochemical, enzymatic and analytical assays for screening, mechanistic characterization and process development, including high-throughput and medium-throughput workflows where appropriate.
• Lead the implementation and interpretation of advanced analytical methods, including LC-MS/MS, HPLC/UPLC, GC-MS, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, chromatographic separations and biophysical characterization methods.
• Integrate analytical, biochemical and process datasets to identify performance bottlenecks, generate actionable insights and support rigorous technical decisions.
• Partner across protein engineering, microbial engineering, fermentation, applications, bioinformatics and computational teams, while supporting technology transfer and scale-up activities as needed.
• Mentor scientists and research associates, strengthen best practices in experimental design and data quality, and contribute to intellectual property through invention disclosures, patents, publications and scientific presentations.

Skills

Enzyme characterization

Protein chemistry

Analytical chemistry

Enzymology

Kinetic modeling

Education

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Enzymology, Analytical Chemistry or related

Tools

LC-MS/MS

HPLC/UPLC

GC-MS

Spectroscopy

Job description

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. The Senior Lead Scientist in Biochemistry and Analytical Chemistry will provide scientific leadership in the discovery, characterization and development of enzymes for the Grain business, based on-site in Palo Alto, California.

You will combine deep expertise in biochemistry, enzymology, analytical chemistry and mechanistic assay development to guide multidisciplinary programs from concept through