Associate Director/Director, Downstream Processing
$150,000–$180,000 year
On-siteSan Diego, California, United States
Job Summary
Lead strategy and execution of downstream purification processes for precision fermentation-derived cosmetic actives, guiding a team of scientists and engineers from bench scale through commercial manufacturing. Provide hands-on technical expertise in unit operations including centrifugation, filtration, chromatography, and crystallization while establishing an efficient laboratory for rapid process development and technology transfer. Manage CDMO and CMO partnerships by authoring proposals, conducting site audits, and serving as the primary technical contact for scale-up and manufacturing support. Author technology transfer packages, oversee equipment procurement, and define key performance indicators for yield, purity, and scalability. Collaborate with upstream leads, quality, and regulatory teams to ensure integrated process strategies meet all standards.
Required Qualifications
- PhD + 10 years of experience
- Master's Degree + 16 years of experience
- Bachelors Degree + 18 years of experience
- Significant experience in downstream process development for fermentation-derived products
- Demonstrated expertise across lab, pilot, and manufacturing scales
- Demonstrated expertise in downstream unit operations, including centrifugation, filtration, distillation, precipitation, chromatography, liquid/liquid extraction, crystallization, and drying
- Experience managing or leading technical teams, including mentoring scientists and engineers
- Proven experience authoring and executing technology transfers to CDMO or CMO partners
- Experience serving as a technical project manager for external scale-up or manufacturing projects
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey technical information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Experience evaluating and selecting CDMO or CMO partners, including RFP authorship and site audits
- Familiarity with mass balance review and master batch record oversight
- Experience specifying and procuring scale-relevant process equipment
- Background in microbial (bacterial and yeast) fermentation DSP processes, of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic target compounds
- Must be willing to work with biohazardous agents (up to BSL2) and chemicals
- Must be willing to work in an industrial environment with exposure to hot and cold temperatures, noise, fumes, limited dust, and oily coolants
- Must comply with published Company PPE policy including safety glasses with side shields, appropriate attire, safety shoes, hard hat, hearing protection
- Must be able to perform continuous upward and downward flexion of the neck
- Must be able to sit frequently and use hands repetitively to operate computers, printers and copiers
- Must be able to use hands to feel objects or control tools (e.g. pipetting)
- Must be able to walk, stand, climb stairs, bend and twist neck, bend and twist waist, squat, grasp, reach above and below shoulder level
- Must be able to lift and carry files or material weighing up to 50 pounds
- Must be willing to travel approximately 20% to support CDMO and CMO site visits, inspections, technology transfer activities, and on-site collaboration during scale-up and manufacturing phases
- Must be willing to travel to both domestic and international destinations
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