Lead, Culture Collection and R&D Operations
oathMillbrae (CA)
About the role
Overview:
Oath is a leading microbial sciences company that utilizes microbes and plants to offer innovative solutions to climate change and sustainable agriculture. We aim to replenish Earth's microbiomes by leveraging science-based insights to provide natural soil inoculant solutions that foster a healthier and more sustainable world. When you join Oath, you become part of a collaborative network that prioritizes high-quality scientific research to develop and launch effective global solutions. You will have access to a team of scientists, study directors, and a broad network of collaborators to integrate and enhance your skills.
Position Summary:
We are seeking a Senior Scientist or Senior R&D Manager to join our dynamic, fast-paced R&D team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in creating high-quality microbial cell banks and working stocks, coordinating fit-for-purpose technology and QC infrastructure development, and orchestrating an R&D product development pipeline with a focus on innovative testing methodologies for launching novel microbial consortia products.
Key Responsibilities:
- Optimize methods and lead production of high-quality frozen stocks of diverse bacteria and fungi from environmental sources (i.e., non-model organisms); includes archival stocks and working cell banks for manufacturing and lab assays
- Ensure clonal purity, viability, and vitality of all stocks, banks, and source material
- Implement methods to monitor, mitigate, and prevent contamination events
- Design PCR primers, optimize protocols, and operationalize methods for assessing clonal purity and genomic integrity
- Identify and manage contract research organizations (CROs) and service providers for R&DAdd DNA barcodes and fluorescent reporters to selected microbial strains
Implement automation and sample tracking solutions as needed (e.g., capper/decapper, barcoded vials and plates, ViaFlow, collaboration with automation engineer for liquid handling solutions, etc.)Help guide development of LIMS (laboratory information management systems); thoroughly document sample tracking, processes, procedures, and operations
Engage as a key thought leader in strategic development of R&D platform & pipeline
Manage projects for infrastructure development & pipeline operations
Collaborate with colleagues in bioinformatics, data science, laboratory and greenhouse testing, production/manufacturing, BD, regulatory, and field science
Manage one or more direct reports
Qualifications:
- PhD degree (or equivalent experience) in Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, Plant Biology, or related field
- Experience with testing and optimizing microbial metabolism, interactions, phenotypes, and genotypes of diverse environmental isolates 4+ years leading a team in industrial or agricultural biotechnology and developing microbe-based products in a corporate R&D environment
- Required Skills & Expertise
- Extensive experience in cultivating diverse microbes, including Actinobacteria
- Demonstrated ability to deploy molecular biology fundamentals for design and build
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
- Ability to critically evaluate scientific literature and bring key innovations in-house
- Track record of crafting high-quality project plans
- Successful prior people management and hiring experience
- Proficiency in LIMS systems (e.g., Benchling), standard statistical analysis and data visualization software (e.g., R, Spotfire, Tableau, JMP), and project management software (e.g., Asana, Jira)
- Experience using SQL queries and relational databases
- Effective communication across multiple disciplines
- Tech-savvy with a passion for learning and applying new technologies
- Highly responsive and proactive with initiative and independence
- Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills
- Flexible and adaptable to changing project needs and priorities
- Beneficial Skills & Expertise
- Expertise in microbe-host interaction mechanisms and assays, particularly plant-microbe and/or pathogen-microbe interactions
- Understanding of microbial physiology and metabolism in biochemistry, genomics, biosynthetic gene clusters, microbiome dynamics, symbioses, and pathogen resistance
- Experience in assessing and engineering microbiomes and their interactions
- Track record of cross-stakeholder alignment to operate a structured R&D pipeline with complex coordination and stage-gate decisions
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Job Details
Location:
This position requires spending >80% of the workweek at a laboratory location in the San Francisco East Bay region. The first weeks may require regular work at a Vacaville, CA location. May require occasional travel outside California.
Job Type:
Full-time, exempt position in the United States. At this time, Oath, Inc. is not able to provide visa sponsorship or work authorization support.
Company:
About Oath: Oath is a leading microbial sciences company focused on sustainable agriculture and planet-wide challenges. xmcpwfu We envision a world where these challenges are not only alleviated but reversed, replenishing Earths microbiomes.
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