Director of Sustainable Innovation
Job Description
At Modern Meadow (MM) we are harnessing the power of design, biology, and material science to produce high performing, sustainable, and scalable bio-based products. As we continue to grow, we are seeking a Director of Sustainable Innovation to spearhead our initiatives to design for sustainability from the start by creating technology, products and processes that promote the health and well-being of people and the planet.
Responsibilities:
- Provide science-based perspective to help MM set realistic but challenging company and product goals that are aligned with company philosophy and technical competencies
- Define and build a team of skilled scientists and engineers to partner with the technical and product functions to define and support near term and long term projects
- Liaison with R&D teams to drive innovation to meet science, technology, and commercial goals
- Employ eco-design principles and anticipatory LCAs to design and develop MM products
- Educate MM team on LCA and life-cycle thinking to design for sustainability
- SME for third party interactions and communications (scientific community, science-focused customers + investors)
- Present scientific results through journal publication, conferences, and other events
Requirements:
This multidisciplinary role requires knowledge and expertise in science and engineering as well as green chemistry, eco-design principles and life-cycle assessment (LCA). The successful candidate will have:
- PhD in Life-cycle Assessment, Chemical/Biochemical/Materials Engineering or related discipline
- 10+ years experience in industrial research laboratory
- Track record of leading high functioning teams and bringing sustainable solutions to market with a demonstrated ability to work through others and is skilled in influence management.
- Collaborative team spirit and drive to build consensus across multiple stakeholders
- LCA practitioner or process engineer with experience building new processes and plans in life-cycle assessment software (i.e., GaBi, Simapro) and/or experience developing engineering process models in Aspen Plus, Hysys, or similar
- Experience developing integrated process models and lifecycle inventories for lifecycle assessments of materials or other products preferred
- Experience in assessing environmental impacts and trade-offs associated with bio-based materials. Experience in designing circular systems with responsible ultimate end of life stage preferred