Director of Strain Development

The Role: 

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Meati Foods was founded on the principle that finding the right protein should be easy and consumers should never have to choose between health, taste, or the environment. Our team is passionate about making the world a better place from a nutritional, mental, and environmental perspective. This passion translates into the culture of our office, making Meati Foods a lively, enjoyable, and inclusive place to work.  

Meati Foods is looking for a Director of Strain Development to join our team. In this role, you will be playing a vital role in advancing our fundamental understanding of the mycelium and developing the strains that will be used in our fermentation process to make the core ingredient for Meati products. This position is a key member of the fermentation leadership team as a voice for the potential of the strain, setting direction for multiple teams, establishing R&D processes and targets, and helping achieve aggressive timelines. We are looking for a highly experienced scientist with previous industrial experience, strong relationship management, project management, and strategic thinking. You have experience with molecular biology, metabolic modeling, microbial physiology, strain engineering, and bioinformatics. This role reports to the VP, Fermentation R&D and works out of Meati’s Headquarters in Boulder, CO. 

In this role you will: 

• Establish direction, group timelines, and goals for both short and long term for Strain Development team.  
• Work closely with internal stakeholders in Scale Up and Process Development to establish the technology roadmap and ensure line of sight for implementation of new technologies. 
• Work across functions to identify potential needs from internal costumers. 
• Develop in-house technologies & methods and/or lead collaborative efforts oriented around strain adaptation/evolution. 
• Build out department core competencies by introducing new technologies, identifying technology bottlenecks plus driving for their resolution. 
• Partner with the VP of Fermentation R&D to identify talent gaps and work with the Talent Team to attract, hire and develop a high-performance team. 
• Other duties as assigned.  

What you will bring:  

• PhD in Biochemical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, or a related discipline. 
• 10+ years industry experience with metabolic engineering and strain optimization.   
• 8+ years of leading strain development and/or strain engineering teams.  
• Demonstrated industry experience planning department research and development strategies.  
• Strong experience directly managing, mentoring and motivating high performing teams.  
• You are an honest collaborator who thrives on sharing their knowledge and taking in the experiences of others; an excellent communicator, who can work effectively with all. 
• Innovative and creative critical thinker with an analytical mindset and strong critical thinking skills. 
• Self-motivated, flexible, adaptable, and possessing the ability to roll with the punches in a fast-moving, fast-growing, start-up environment. 
• A servant leadership mindset to support everyone on your team to achieve maximum performance and growth for the organization. 

**Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Meati™ we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role, but your previous experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. ** 

Additional Information & Requirements: 

This is a full-time regular position based out of our headquarters in Boulder, CO and may have occasional travel to other other Meati manufacturing sites.   Meati may agree to provide assistance to those relocating for this role. 

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. 

Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required.  Meati may agree to sponsor an individual for an employment visa now or in the future if there is a shortage of individuals with required skills for this job.   

Compensation:  

The base salary range for this role Is  $140,000 to $185,000/annually, which is just one aspect of our total compensation package. In addition to the salary, this position is eligible for a potential annual bonus, and equity! Actual compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location. 

Benefits:  

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance at no cost to the employee  
  (for employee-only coverage) 
• 401K with company match 
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and Floating Holidays 
• Monthly reimbursements for personal health and wellness expenses 
• Mental health programs at no cost 
• Parental Leave, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability coverage, and AD&D 

Equal Employment Opportunity: Eat Meati™ is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Successful applicants for this position must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Vaccine verification will be required prior to the start of employment at Eat Meati™.

About Eat Meati™

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Eat Meati™ is on a mission to build Good Energy™ from the ground up. We work closely with Mother Nature to cultivate the complete protein she intended — one that’s been the root of our living world for millennia. We’re connecting and empowering eaters everywhere to evolve energetically. We believe food should be simple, clean, and of course, delicious, which is why grow and nourish our mushroom root to create nutrient-rich, whole food protein everyone can enjoy. Get to know more about Meati™ at meati.com.

Our team is passionate about making the world a better place through good health and wellness, positive climate impact, and equitable access to nutrition around the world. This passion translates into the culture of our office, making Eat Meati™ a lively, enjoyable, innovative, and inclusive place to work. This is an exciting time to be a part of the Meati™ team and the growing plant-based meat category.