Senior Microbiologist, Industrial Fermentation (Hybrid)

Placements24; Paarl; Hybrid; ZAR 1,100,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health benefits

Conference attendance

Modern fermentation facilities

Job summary

Placements24 in Paarl, Western Cape, is seeking a Senior Microbiologist with a focus on Industrial Fermentation to lead R&D on scalable fermentation processes for high-value biochemicals. You will drive optimization, troubleshoot production-scale challenges, and guide cross-functional teams in a fast-paced bioprocessing environment.

The role requires a PhD or MSc in a related field with 5+ years of hands-on industrial fermentation experience, and expertise in analytical techniques such as HPLC,

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in Microbiology, Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience in industrial microbiology and fermentation.
• Proven track record in optimizing fermentation parameters for various microbes.
• Experience with lab to pilot-scale fermentation and control strategies.

Responsibilities

• Design, optimize, and scale up microbial fermentation processes for target compounds.
• Develop analytical methods to monitor fermentation performance and product quality.
• Troubleshoot technical issues during fermentation runs at pilot and production scales.
• Investigate novel strains and pathways to improve yields and product profiles.
• Collaborate with engineers, molecular biologists, and downstream processing teams.
• Analyze fermentation data, present findings, and support management decisions.

Skills

Industrial fermentation

Microbiology

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

MSc/PhD in Microbiology or related field

Tools

HPLC

GC

PCR

ELISA

Microscopy

Job description

Placements24 in Paarl, Western Cape, is seeking a Senior Microbiologist with a focus on Industrial Fermentation to lead R&D on scalable fermentation processes for high-value biochemicals. You will drive optimization, troubleshoot production-scale challenges, and guide cross-functional teams in a fast-paced bioprocessing environment.

The role requires a PhD or MSc in a related field with 5+ years of hands-on industrial fermentation experience, and expertise in analytical techniques such as HPLC,