Job Title: Microbial Fermentation, Sr., Principal, Scientist/ Engineer
Job Type: Permanent, Full-time
Work Schedule: Onsite, In Office
Sector: Alternative Energy
Location: San Diego, CA

NES Fircroft is a leading global technical recruitment company providing professional contract and permanent staff to a diverse world-wide client base within the energy industry. Our client, a a pioneering start-up with innovative biotechnology that will create a sustainable pathway for alternative fuels, has a permanent opportunity for a Senior Scientist Fermentation Team Lead to be based in San Diego, California.

Position Summary

Join a cutting-edge biotech company at the forefront of enzyme design for alternative fuel production. In this role, you will play a key part in developing and optimizing biocatalytic solutions that drive innovation in sustainable energy. Working alongside a team of top scientists and engineers, you will contribute to groundbreaking research and commercial-scale applications that push the boundaries of synthetic biology and fuel technology. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a mission-driven company shaping the future of energy.

The ideal candidate should have significant hands-on and leadership experience developing and optimizing aerobic microbial fermentation processes for enzyme production and cell-free biocatalytic production processes in lab-scale bioreactors.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead development of microbial fermentation and cell-free biocatalysis processes at lab scale. 
• Design, build, and optimize aerobic fermentation processes for recombinant enzyme production using defined media.
• Optimize media composition, feeding strategies, seed trains, process setpoints, aeration strategies, and contamination control strategies.
• Quantify key metabolites using HPLC, GC, and other analytical techniques to construct and optimize process carbon balances
• Evaluate microbial hosts and expression systems for enzyme production in collaboration with the Strain Engineering team.
• Establish and run DBTL (Design–Build–Test–Learn) experimental cycles aimed at improving enzyme titers and productivity
• Investigate downstream operations including centrifugation, clarification, filtration, and dialysis for enzyme recovery.
• Design scalable cell-free enzyme-catalyzed processes across batch, fed-batch, and continuous regimes.
• Guide process optimization using analyte profiles and carbon flux analysis.
• Transfer processes to internal or external manufacturing teams.
• Mentor and train junior scientists/engineers.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with the Evolution Team on strain and expression improvements.
• Establish project management systems for internal communication, experiment planning, and data sharing.

Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Molecular Biology, or equivalent area, from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 3 years working in industry with experience performing strain and metabolic engineering for enzyme production in diverse microbial hosts.
• Deep technical knowledge of recombinant enzyme expression problems and strategies to improve enzyme expression
• Experience establishing and validating plate, flask, and bioreactor enzyme production experiments.
• Experiencing implementing, organizing, and executing project management strategies.
• Experience leading scientific teams.
• Additional experience to support key responsibilities above.

Working Conditions/ Environment:

• Able to work 5 days a week onsite.
• Able to work in a BSL1 laboratory with hazardous materials including flammables, corrosives, and general health hazards.
• Travel up to 10%.
• Eagerness and appetite to be a team player and leader working in an exciting startup environment.

Why work here

• Growth in a Fast-Paced Environment – Join a pioneering, growing start-up at the forefront of synthetic biology, fuel innovation, and sustainability.
• Be Part of Cutting-Edge Biotech Innovation – Be part of a cutting-edge biotech company engineering enzymes to revolutionize alternative fuel.
• Mission-Driven Impact – Help drive the transition to cleaner, more efficient energy sources by developing breakthrough biotechnologies.
• Collaborative & Inclusive Culture – Work in a team-oriented environment that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Work with Industry Experts – Engage with top-tier scientists, researchers, and business leaders at the forefront of alternative fuel innovation.
• Competitive Compensation & Benefits – Enjoy market-leading salary packages, comprehensive health benefits, 401(k) match, and more.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a pioneering start-up with innovative biotechnology that will create a sustainable pathway for alternative fuels. The successful applicant will receive a competitive compensation package, annual bonus, comprehensive medical benefits, PTO, holidays, and more. Candidate must have authorization to work in the U.S. without a visa or ongoing work permit. For more information on this opportunity or others, please contact Mishu Ventura.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.