Principal Microbiologist, Bioprocess Development — Lead & Scale

Placements24; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Bonuses

Professional development support

Conference attendance

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Principal Microbiologist to lead the Bioprocess Development team in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. You will drive microbial fermentation process development for biologics and enzymes, guiding a team of scientists and engineers towards scalable, innovative solutions.

The ideal candidate will have a PhD with 8+ years in fermentation and upstream development, strong leadership, and expertise in microbial physiology and metabolic engineering.

Qualifications

• PhD in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of microbial fermentation and bioprocess development with leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of microbial physiology, genetics, and metabolic engineering.
• Hands-on experience with fermentation technologies and bioreactor systems.
• Proficiency in data analysis and statistical modeling.
• Experience with strain improvement and genetic modification techniques is desirable.
• Good understanding of downstream processing principles.
• Excellent problem-solving, project management, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and optimization of microbial fermentation processes.
• Design and execute lab-scale and pilot-scale fermentation experiments to improve yield and titer.
• Develop and implement upstream process control strategies.
• Characterize strains and optimize growth conditions for performance.
• Oversee scale-up and technology transfer to manufacturing.
• Analyze fermentation data and develop predictive models.
• Mentor junior scientists and research staff.
• Ensure safety and quality throughout development; support publications.

Skills

Microbial physiology

Fermentation science

Bioprocess development

Data analysis

Statistical modeling

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Education

PhD in Microbiology/Biotechnology/Biochemical Engineering

Tools

Bioreactor systems

Statistical software

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Principal Microbiologist to lead the Bioprocess Development team in Stellenbosch, Western Cape. You will drive microbial fermentation process development for biologics and enzymes, guiding a team of scientists and engineers towards scalable, innovative solutions.

The ideal candidate will have a PhD with 8+ years in fermentation and upstream development, strong leadership, and expertise in microbial physiology and metabolic engineering.