Media Manufacturing Technician, Cell Culture Media

About us 

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from animal cells.  These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. UPSIDE Foods recently became the first company in the world to receive the US FDA greenlight for cultivated meat, and UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken will be available to consumers following USDA inspection and label approval. 

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck). The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others. 

About this job 

UPSIDE Foods is excited to have grown tremendously over the past two years. The Media Manufacturing Technician will support the growing media preparation and hydration activities required to support the R&D organization. Media preparation provides a key support service in the research and development (R&D) organization, enabling researchers to execute key studies to produce cultivated meats. Critical nutrients are delivered to cultivated meat via cell culture media, and our scientists require liquid media to deliver these nutrients. This position is a great opportunity for someone with a background providing support to laboratory researchers that wants to contribute their efforts to groundbreaking scientific discoveries in a new and exciting field!

Responsibilities include 

• Manufacturing liquid media by following batch records requiring good documentation practices, aseptic techniques, and attention to detail.
• Maintaining an inventory of media components and completing liquid media preparations.
• Proficient in data collection and management.
• Managing a media production schedule in a team environment.
• Maintaining a clean and organized workspace.

About you

• A.S., B.S., or equivalent experience in cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, chemistry, bioengineering, or closely related science. 
• Competent with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word and Google suite (e.g. Sheets, Slides) 
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving, and cross-functional environment.
• Comfortable with inventory management and maintaining records.
• Working knowledge or hands-on experience with cell culture processes is a plus.

Who you’ll work with 

• This role will reside in the Cell Culture Media team and work with researchers in R&D to execute standard and custom media recipes.  The role will also interact with other functions to share and learn how media is prepared at different scales. 

Key Contributions in First Year 

• Proficiency with independent media preparations. 
• Active involvement in troubleshooting and investigation of media preparation issues.
• Proposing and implementing 3 practices to improve media preparation quality with support from the team. 

Compensation Range: $45,000 - $75,000*
*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

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!
• 3 Weeks PTO Accrued Annually
• 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.