Associate Director, Analytical R&D

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. The founding company of the industry, UPSIDE Foods is a mission-driven organization 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

As the head of the Analytical Research & Development (ARD) team, you will manage and grow a skilled organization to accelerate the build-out of analytical tools to support the R&D, Product Development, Regulatory, and Quality organizations at UPSIDE Foods. Your team will offer analytical services, such as new method development, optimization, validation, and workflows to support routine analytical testing. You will serve as an analytical chemistry subject matter expert and be responsible for the overall operation of the ARD team, including managing the lab and personnel, administrative functions, and team strategy. You will provide a critical resource to the company by driving a culture of operational excellence, with personnel productivity and quality methods to ensure data integrity. The ideal candidate will have experience building out and maintaining efficient analytical teams and a demonstrated track record establishing new methodologies to support core R&D and product objectives. We’re looking for someone who is flexible and innovative, passionate about optimization, and excited to collaborate with multiple UPSIDE Foods teams.

Responsibilities include… 

• Team leadership and direction, including designing and implementing a team strategy for establishing high quality analytical methods to support routine data collection across R&D, Product Development, Regulatory, and Quality.
• Developing methodologies and tools to enhance research capabilities, including growing a portfolio of analytical capabilities for testing both in-house and utilizing external partners, and managing the ARD laboratory including new equipment onboarding.
• Hands-on, technical leadership in the laboratory while providing performance management, including hiring, supervising, and developing ARD team members in a supportive team environment.
• Stakeholder engagement, including efficiently cross-collaborating with multiple team leads and SMEs to source needs and provide customized solutions within budget and timelines.
• Championing a culture that values efficiency, service, continuous improvement, growth mindset, and proficiency in state of the art analytical.

About you…

• A PhD in Chemistry or a related field with 5+ years of related technical experience, including 3+ years of managerial experience leading and developing a team, with a demonstrated history of establishing robust analytical platforms, e.g. HPLC, GC, ICP-MS, wet chemistry, and molecular biology assays.
• Enjoys fast-paced and complex environments, mentoring team members, and always striving to make processes and experiences better. Strong planning, project management, and organizational skills, with a passion for growing an analytical team..
• Cultivates analytical innovation and upholds scientific integrity to the highest standards to enable strategic growth of the ARD team. This includes establishing objectives, timelines, and budgets and holding partners and team accountable for delivery for business-critical needs.
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills, with proven ability to communicate effectively with individuals from a variety of levels and backgrounds.
• Actively plans and aligns across the organization, and is willing and able to adjust to shifts in focus, juggling multiple analytical methods and workflows.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including ability to establish productive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

Who you’ll work with…

• You will report directly to the Sr. Director of Process Development within the R&D Organization.
• You will collaborate closely to deliver solutions across R&D teams, including Upstream Development, Cell Culture Media, Process Development, Food R&D, and Discovery teams.
• You will work closely with the Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory teams to ensure appropriate validated methods are being employed for commercialization testing and regulatory compliance.
• You will frequently coordinate with the Operations and Lab Operations teams to enable administrative and laboratory functions, respectively.

Key Contributions in First Year…

• Establish an ARD team strategic roadmap for establishing analytical testing needs across the company.
• Deliver on key method development and validation objectives by supporting and leading the ARD team.
• Significantly increase the analytical capabilities of UPSIDE Foods via lab performance, instrumental capabilities, established methodologies, and customer-friendly workflows.

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• Unlimited PTO 
• DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Council and People Engagement Programs
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

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.