Senior Fermentation Scientist: Scale-Up & Innovation

Placements24; Durban; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary package with incentives

Health insurance & retirement fund

Paid time off and development

Modern fermentation facilities

Innovative biotech environment

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Microbiologist for its Durban-based R&D team. The role centers on optimizing microbial fermentation processes to improve yield, purity, and efficiency for industrial applications.

You will lead projects, troubleshoot challenges, and contribute to innovative strategies in a hands-on laboratory setting. The ideal candidate has an MSc or PhD in Microbiology or Biotechnology with at least six years of hands-on fermentation experience, plus expertise in bioreactor

Qualifications

• MSc. or Ph.D. in Microbiology, Biotechnology, or related field with a fermentation focus.
• Minimum of 6 years hands-on experience in industrial or academic fermentation R&D.
• Experience with microbial physiology, bioreactor operation, and downstream processing.
• Proficiency in HPLC, GC, and spectrophotometry.
• Strong project management and teamwork in a Durban setting.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and monitor large-scale microbial fermentation experiments to optimize product yield and quality.
• Develop and validate analytical methods for fermentation products and process intermediates.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to microbial growth, contamination, and process parameters.
• Collaborate with process engineers to ensure scale-up from laboratory to pilot and production scales.
• Stay abreast of advancements in fermentation technology and microbial strain development.

Skills

Project management

Teamwork

Fermentation science

Education

MSc or PhD in Microbiology/Biotechnology

Tools

HPLC

GC

Spectrophotometry

Bioreactor operation

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Microbiologist for its Durban-based R&D team. The role centers on optimizing microbial fermentation processes to improve yield, purity, and efficiency for industrial applications.

You will lead projects, troubleshoot challenges, and contribute to innovative strategies in a hands-on laboratory setting. The ideal candidate has an MSc or PhD in Microbiology or Biotechnology with at least six years of hands-on fermentation experience, plus expertise in bioreactor