You've spent years studying how fungal strains behave, and you've watched companies treat that knowledge as secondary to engineering. This is the role where the science leads. Not in Chicago? Relocation assistance is available.
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Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a Chicago-based biotech startup commercializing a proprietary fungal protein platform with applications in food ingredients, biomaterials, and beyond. The company is approximately 70 to 75 people, privately held, and operating with the intensity and ownership culture of an early-stage startup. They have consolidated operations into a single pilot facility in Chicago and are focused on optimizing their fermentation platform for commercial viability.
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The team today is built primarily of engineers. They know how to build, run, and maintain fermentation systems. What they are missing is the person who can go deeper on the science: someone who understands fungal strain behavior at a fundamental level, who can design and lead experiments to optimize media formulations, and who can translate complex biological data into decisions that improve product quality and cost efficiency.
The Director of Process and Pilot Engineering put it directly: "The missing piece we're trying to solve for is deep scientific research. Going further down and finding out answers and solutions. That's more than anything else right now."
This is not a scale-up role with some science on the side. This is a science role with an engineering team around you to help execute.
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Filamentous fungi are among the most underutilized protein production platforms in biotech. Most organizations treat the unique physiology, the growth behavior in submerged culture, and the challenges of continuous fermentation as obstacles. This team treats them as the core competency.
The company has survived the wave of overhyped alternative protein collapses precisely because they prioritized sustainable operations over growth-at-all-costs. They are now in a position to optimize with discipline, and they need a scientist who understands fungal fermentation deeply enough to help them do it right.
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If you finished your PhD, went into industry, and now find yourself contributing to projects but never quite owning the scientific direction, this is the alternative.
You will report to a Director who has been with the company for six years and is actively invested in the success of whoever fills this seat. The role was described as roughly 50/50 between hands-on bench and pilot work and desk-side analysis, experiment planning, and data interpretation. Over time, as you generate answers and build confidence in the platform, the role shifts toward ideation and scientific leadership.
The hiring manager was clear about what guarantees an interview: "Personality first, the ability to blend with the team and work in a startup environment. Then technical knowledge, know-how, and being a subject matter expert."
If you've been waiting for the right opportunity to own the science instead of supporting someone else's, this is it. And if location has been the thing holding you back from a role like this, relocation support with a sign-on bonus is part of the package.
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• Design and lead experiments focused on fungal strain optimization, media formulation, and fermentation process improvement at benchtop and pilot scale (50L to 500L)
• Investigate how strain physiology responds to changes in media composition, feeding strategy, and environmental conditions, and translate findings into actionable process improvements
• Apply statistical DOE and data analysis to interpret complex datasets, identify low-hanging optimizations, and inform techno-economic feasibility decisions
• Serve as the scientific subject matter expert on the team, bridging the gap between what the biology can do and what the product quality and cost targets require
• Operate, troubleshoot, and maintain bioreactors at lab and pilot scale, including hardware and control systems
• Partner cross-functionally with R&D, engineering, and downstream processing to ensure fermentation outputs meet product specifications
• Contribute to SOPs, experimental records, and process documentation as the platform matures
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This is a hands-on, on-site role at the pilot plant. You will plan experiments and you will run them. Everyone on this team rolls up their sleeves, including leadership. The startup culture is real: things change, priorities shift, and the ability to move with that ambiguity is not optional.
The hiring manager said it plainly: "The main focus of the role is to work hands-on in the pilot plant. It's not going to be like you're just doing strategic planning and assigning a project to someone. It's more about hands-on work."
You will not have a large team to delegate to. You will have support from research associates and junior engineers when you're doing desk work, but when you're on the floor, you're running the experiments yourself. If you're looking for a position where you design experiments and hand them off, this is not it.
The upside is that your fingerprints are on everything. When the process works, you will have been the person who solved it.
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• PhD in Microbiology, Fungal Biology, Bioprocess Engineering, or a closely related discipline (MS with 10+ years of directly relevant fungal fermentation R&D experience also considered)
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with filamentous fungal strains and their physiological requirements in submerged culture
• Experience with media optimization and an understanding of how strain behavior changes with media composition
• Track record of independently designing, leading, and executing experiments, not just contributing to them
• Bioreactor operation and troubleshooting experience at lab and pilot scale
• Proficiency in statistical DOE and fermentation data analysis
• Genuine comfort in a startup environment: ambiguity, lean resources, and shifting priorities
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• Experience with continuous fermentation or SmF scale-up
• Background in alternative proteins, food biotech, or biomaterials
• Familiarity with techno-economic assessment (TEA) and cost optimization
• Prior work with CMOs and technology transfer projects
• Experience working in non-GMP, BSL-1 environments
• Chicago-area location or openness to relocating (sign-on bonus available for relocation)
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: Based on experience
: 10% annual target
: Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP); all employees eligible
/ / : Multiple plan options; several 100% employer-paid
: Sign-on bonus available, structured by distance and number of dependents
: On-site, Chicago pilot plant
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Apply via LinkedIn and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation. Confidential search; your application is fully private.
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