Senior Manager / Director, Development Sciences

Surf Search Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Surf Search Inc. seeks Senior Manager / Director, R&D to lead a multidisciplinary team focused on engineering microbial production platforms and advancing recombinant strain technologies.

You will translate business goals into actionable research plans, mentor scientists, and collaborate across Fermentation, Process Development, Analytical Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, and Business Development.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in molecular life sciences with research leadership experience.
• Strong expertise in microbial genetics, cloning, and synthetic biology.
• Hands-on genome engineering using CRISPR/Cas or related tech.
• Experience with recombinant protein expression systems is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multidisciplinary team of scientists and research associates.
• Set technical strategy and translate objectives into research milestones.
• Manage multiple programs and drive timely delivery with scientific excellence.
• Mentor staff and foster an innovation-driven research culture.
• Lead development of recombinant microbial production strains for therapeutics or industrial proteins.
• Design molecular biology and genome engineering strategies using modern tools.
• Enhance strain performance through productivity, secretion, and stability optimization.
• Develop workflows and high-throughput methods to accelerate screening.
• Collaborate with Fermentation, Process Development, Analytical Development, Manufacturing, and Quality.
• Represent findings to executives and cross-functional partners.

Skills

Molecular biology

Microbiology

Cloning techniques

Synthetic biology

Genome engineering

DOE and statistics

Data-driven decision making

Leadership and mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, Synthetic Biology, Biotechnology, or related life sciences

Tools

LIMS

ELN

Genomics sequencing tools

Bioinformatics tools

Job description

Our client is an innovative biotechnology company developing advanced microbial platforms for the production of recombinant proteins and other biologically derived products. The organization combines expertise in molecular biology, synthetic biology, microbial engineering, and bioprocess development to create scalable solutions for commercial applications.

The Senior Manager / Director, R&D will provide scientific and strategic leadership for a team focused on engineering microbial production platforms and advancing recombinant strain technologies. This individual will oversee research programs from concept through development, collaborate across multiple technical disciplines, and help establish next-generation capabilities supporting commercial product development.

Responsibilities of the Senior Manager / Director, R&D:

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team of scientists and research associates focused on microbial engineering and strain optimization.
• Establish technical strategy and translate business objectives into executable research plans and development milestones.
• Manage multiple research programs, ensuring projects are completed on schedule while maintaining scientific excellence.
• Mentor technical staff and foster a collaborative, innovation-driven research environment.
• Lead development of recombinant microbial strains for expression of therapeutic, industrial, or specialty proteins.
• Design and implement molecular biology, synthetic biology, and genome engineering strategies utilizing modern gene-editing technologies.
• Improve strain performance through optimization of productivity, secretion, stability, and overall manufacturing characteristics.
• Develop and optimize molecular biology workflows supporting platform technology development.
• Develop high-throughput screening methods and automated laboratory workflows to accelerate strain evaluation.
• Apply Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical analysis, and data-driven decision making to optimize development programs.
• Integrate genomic, transcriptomic, and other systems biology data to guide strain engineering strategies.
• Partner closely with Fermentation, Process Development, Analytical Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Business Development teams.
• Support successful transfer of optimized production strains from research through process development and commercial manufacturing.
• Build collaborative relationships with external scientific partners, academic institutions, and technology providers.
• Present technical findings to executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

Qualifications of the Senior Manager / Director, R&D:

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, Synthetic Biology, Biotechnology, or a related life sciences discipline.
• Strong expertise in molecular biology, microbial genetics, cloning techniques, and synthetic biology.
• Hands-on experience with CRISPR/Cas or other genome engineering technologies.
• Experience with recombinant protein expression systems.
• Knowledge of genomics, sequencing technologies, bioinformatics tools, and systems biology approaches.
• Experience utilizing statistical methods and Design of Experiments (DOE).
• Familiarity with laboratory information systems (LIMS), electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN), and scientific data management platforms.
• Experience developing recombinant microbial production strains for commercial products (preferred).
• Experience working with filamentous fungi, yeast, bacterial expression systems, or other industrial microbial platforms (preferred).Experience supporting scale-up and technology transfer into manufacturing (preferred).

Occupational Code: 11-9121.00 (Natural Sciences Managers)