Scientist, microbiology

Summary
We’re looking for an experimental microbiologist to help us create a more sustainable food system. You want to apply your scientific expertise to a real product that you can taste and push forward the application of community ecology, systems thinking, and computational throughput to the narrowly focused field of microbial engineering. And most importantly, you share our values. This position is based in Oakland, CA and offers competitive salary and equity.

About Tezza
Tezza is an early-stage public benefit corporation focused on climate change and sustainability. Our vision is a world where on every menu, grocery shelf, and table, the most exciting foods are also the most sustainable. To achieve this, our mission is to use modern, high-throughput science to discover cultured foods that tap into the diversity of the microbial world.

We are starting with a new category of aged, hard cheeses—that happen to be made from plants. The dairy industry produces more than 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions—more than aviation—and poses further sustainability as well as animal-welfare challenges. We provide better, more affordable, and healthier products that bring people together around a shared love of food.

About the position
You will be working with us to accelerate the discovery of cultured foods. Some of your responsibilities will include:

• Isolate and screen microbes
• With the founder, develop high-throughput methods (both experimental and computational biology) for evaluating and designing microbial communities for food applications
• Work with high-throughput data with guidance from the founder
• Maintain robust documentation of your work so others can collaborate with you
• Work with the product team to apply cultures to novel cheeses and foods
• Work with the product and brand team to further our collective mission
• Build a company where mission and money meet
• This position is full time and not fully remote

Qualifications

• PhD in microbiology or a related science
• Ability to hire and recruit uncommonly capable people
• A deeply held conviction in our mission and values
• Desire to take on daunting scientific challenges with zeal
• Experience in experimental microbiology work, particularly isolating and characterizing microbes
• Preferably experience generating and computationally analyzing genomic data and eager to branch into other scientific disciplines as necessary

What do you get out of it?

• Work on global sustainability problems via a hands-on, tasty product
• Large growth potential in different areas (management, research, operations, manufacturing, branding, etc)
• Learn about different aspects of building an early-stage startup
• We focus on growth, and we hire you not for this position, but for your next three positions. We will work with you to craft a learning plan to achieve your personal and career goals, at Tezza or elsewhere
• A chance to build the kind of place where you’d like to work

If interested, what should you do?
We build relationships thoughtfully, and this approach takes time. Over multiple conversations, we will seek to understand how we can support you, and hopefully you will find out whether we are a good fit for your goals or simply a bunch of nutcases. You can learn about our values, hiring process, and benefits here.

To apply, please email join@tezzafoods.com with a resume and responses to the following prompts (a conversational, unpolished tone is fine):

1. What motivates you right now? When you think about your short life, what motivates you for the long term? And most importantly, why? Where did those motivations come from?
2. What are the most important things that you are striving to improve in yourself? What are you doing to work on them? And how would that work either amplify a superpower or cure an achilles heel?

Tezza is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status. But we acknowledge that we are flawed humans within a flawed society. We do our best and apologize and learn when that’s not enough.