Associate Director, Upstream Development

over 2 years ago
Full time role
San Francisco, CA, US... more
San Francisco, CA, US... more

Company

Memphis Meats creates real, edible meat products from stem cells instead of living animals. At Memphis Meats, our mission is to ...

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Job Description

About us

At the forefront of farming and food, Upside Foods is innovating new ways to produce real meat, without the need to breed, feed and slaughter animals. Our process begins with an animal cell, which is cultivated and harvested as meat. Upside Foods is a mission-driven company focused on bringing to meat lovers an authentic product that is truly humane, sustainably produced, nutritious and delicious! We are now expanding our team of dedicated professionals across disciplines to make better meat for a better world.

About this job

We are seeking an innovative, productive, and experienced Associate Director to lead the delivery of characterized cell lines and culture processes to support large-scale manufacturing of cell-cultured meat products. This individual will oversee cellular adaptation, cloning, high-throughput screening and characterization, and upstream process development work, helping to create an efficient cellular pipeline supporting downstream teams. An ideal candidate would be able to drive research initiatives in this space, as we aim for continuous improvement and thorough understanding of our cells and processes. The role will work closely with Cell Line and Media Development teams to formulate and execute a strategy for scalable meat production, as well as Data and Automation teams to enable high-throughput method development and data capture.

This is a cross-functional position with opportunities for collaboration across various R&D and Technical Operations groups. Due to the dynamic and collaborative environment of our organization, this role will require someone who can succeed individually, but also as part of a team. Lastly, and most importantly, our ideal teammate will bring a sense of creativity, enthusiasm, and integrity to both this position and our organization.

Duties include

  • Leading teams accountable for cell line adaptation, monoclonal cell line derivation, cell characterization, selection, and screening, and upstream process development. 
  • Managing technical transfer of characterized cell lines to dependent teams.
  • Implementing innovative approaches to an emerging field to improve cellular performance, throughput, and efficiency of the Upstream Development pipeline.
  • Collaborating with supporting teams to implement high-throughput technology to support objectives.
  • Interfacing with LIMS data platform to ensure component traceability and proper characterization of processes.
  • Working with Product teams to better understand how cells, media, and processes affect meat quality.
  • Cooperating with Quality and Regulatory teams to ensure best practices for the commercial sale of our products.
  • Aiding teams in experimental design, procedure, data collection, and interpretation of results.
  • Frequent and clear communication of technical data and research directions.
  • Managing a team of Sr. Sci/Sci-level individuals and supporting their career development.

About you

  • BS/MS or Ph.D. in cell biology, stem cell biology, biochemistry, bioengineering or closely-related science with 5+ years of R&D experience in the biopharmaceutical or similar industry.
  • Industrial cell line, culture media, and/or process development experience and strong academic background in a relevant field.
  • Experience leading a team in cell line development, screening, or related activity.
  • Familiarity with genetic and transcriptomic analysis is preferred.
  • Experience in high-throughput method or assay development and implementation for cell line derivation and characterization.
  • Comfortable developing scientific knowledge base by learning new methods from peers, seminars, and scientific literature.
  • Capable of fostering a team environment, collaborating with direct team members as well as scientists in other departments. Open to new ideas and often seeks critical feedback from colleagues and demonstrates effective cooperation.
  • Ability to develop and nurture internal and external relationships with key colleagues, collaborators and vendors.

 

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.

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