Detalhe da Oferta:
2025/07 - Head of Fermentation
Location: Biorbis Laboratory in Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centro Regional do Porto
Reports to: General Manager
Role Summary:
The Head of Fermentation (Lab-Scale) is a technical leader responsible for overseeing all microbial fermentation activities at laboratory scale. This role is critical to ensuring that fermentation workflows are designed, executed, and optimized to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-quality data that feed into product and process development pipelines.
This is not a discovery biology or strain engineering role, but a leadership position focused on process excellence, experimental reproducibility, and fermentation technology development. The ideal candidate has deep experience in microbial fermentation, bioprocessing, and operational lab management, with a track record of scaling fermentation platforms in industrial biotech, food tech, or life sciences environments.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Program & Task Execution Leadership
• Lead the design and execution of lab-scale fermentation programs across various organisms (e.g., bacteria, yeast, fungi).
• Manage fermentation workflows from inoculation through harvest, including feeding strategies, process control, and sampling.
• Define clear plans, timelines, and resource needs for concurrent fermentation campaigns.
• Troubleshoot bioprocess issues and drive continuous improvement in yield, productivity, and reproducibility.
2. Process Development & Data Reliability
• Oversee optimization of fermentation parameters (e.g., pH, DO, temperature, agitation, feeding).
• Ensure experimental setups support hypothesis-driven research and scale-up readiness.
• Establish data integrity standards and collaborate with analytical and downstream teams for comprehensive process evaluation.
• Develop structured data tracking tools and integrate results with broader R&D objectives.
3. Equipment, Systems & Documentation
• Own the operation, maintenance, and scheduling of lab-scale bioreactor systems (1–10 L), including software and control systems.
• Build and maintain SOPs, batch records, and documentation systems that support traceability and compliance.
• Implement and refine digital tools (e.g., ELNs, process tracking systems) to support data capture and knowledge sharing.
• Interface with engineering and IT to ensure smooth lab operations and infrastructure reliability.
4. Team Development & Cross-Functional Integration
• Mentor and lead a high-performing fermentation team, ensuring clarity, accountability, and technical growth.
• Act as a central technical liaison between strain engineering, downstream processing, analytics, and scale-up teams.
• Contribute to culture-building and best-practice sharing across the broader scientific organization.
• Drive a mindset of operational discipline, scientific rigor, and scalable thinking.
Qualifications:
• Ph.D. or M.Sc. in Biochemical Engineering, Microbiology, Biotechnology, or a related field.
• 6–10 years of hands-on experience in fermentation process development, with at least 5 years in a leadership or management role.
• Proven track record in developing microbial fermentation processes and scaling from lab to pilot/production.
• Deep familiarity with lab-scale bioreactor systems and process control software.
• Experience leading teams and building systems for process execution and data reliability.
• Strong understanding of microbial physiology, bioprocess kinetics, and operational troubleshooting.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills across technical and non-technical teams.
Success Metrics (Balanced Scorecard Framework):
1. Product Innovation & Science
• Fermentation experiments reliably deliver high-quality data and material for downstream R&D.
• Demonstrated improvements in titer, yield, and process reproducibility across campaigns.
2. Strategic Value Creation
• Fermentation program delivers core inputs that de-risk strain development and support scale-up.
• Proactive process development shortens development timelines and improves go-to-market readiness.
3. Operational Excellence
• >90% of fermentation runs completed on time and in spec.
• SOPs, batch records, and data systems are implemented, maintained, and audited.
• Measurable improvements in lab throughput, downtime reduction, and process control precision.~
4. People & Capabilities
• High team engagement and retention, with clear training and development programs.
• New team members onboarded efficiently with standardized procedures.
• A culture of discipline, rigor, and continuous improvement embedded in fermentation operations.~
5. Other
• English proficiency is mandatory
How to Apply: Interested candidates should send their CV, including 2 professional references, to
Mostrar Email > < Mostrar Email
Email subject line should be: "2507 HF - CV [Your Name]