About the company:
Nature’s Fynd is a Chicago-based food company creating versatile alternative proteins to nourish the world’s growing population while nurturing the planet. Born out of research conducted for NASA on microbes in Yellowstone National Park, the company’s breakthrough technology produces Fy™. Fy is a new-to-the-world, nutritional fungi protein that only uses a fraction of the resources required by traditional agriculture. We use Fy to make delicious, nutritious, and sustainable meat and dairy alternatives.
Nature’s Fynd is a groundbreaking food tech company born out of NASA-supported research on extremophiles in the geothermal pools of Yellowstone National Park. Our novel fermentation technology produces a sustainable source of complete protein using only a fraction of the resources required by traditional agriculture. As the challenge to feed the world’s expanding population grows, our mission is to create amazing foods and materials that provide sustainable choices and nurture the planet.
We’re looking for passionate, driven, and ambitious people to join our fast-growing team.
As a Downstream Process Engineer at Nature’s Fynd, you will be a key member of the Manufacturing & Engineering team serving as a subject matter expert for process and technology development and optimization of the downstream process for production of our FY™ protein based on our unique fermentation technology. You will be responsible for troubleshooting and scale-up and participate in investment projects as the expert within your field.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Serve as downstream process engineering subject matter expert (SME) and provide day-to-day technical support for the continuous improvement of quality, cost, and increased production capacity. Utilize statistical tools and methodologies to evaluate existing processes and collect, monitor, and analyze production data to identify improvements. Propose and lead implementation of initiatives that optimize the manufacturing processWork cross-functionally with R&D, Product Development, Manufacturing, and Data Science teams to develop test plans / design of experiments and lead equipment trials to determine key process parameters for optimal operating conditions. Support process development, scale-up and technology transfer activities from lab benchtop, to pilot plant, to industrial scaleScout and develop technology for downstream processing of unique fermentation process to enable consistent production of high quality products based on FY™Partner with external consultants and vendors to develop engineering design packages for production and utility systems, including equipment specifications and process control descriptions. Participate in development of factory and site acceptance criteria, and the commissioning, validation, and startup of production lines.Role Requirements:
7+ years of processing engineering experience in food, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or specialty chemical industriesMaster’s Degree (preferred) in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering or related engineering discipline (i.e., Biological / Food Engineering)Strong competency in the biotech or food process development and optimization and extensive knowledge of equipment technologies and unit operations, including fluid and solid transport, heat and mass transfer, extraction, separation / filtration, drying, etc.Experience with hygienic design and sanitary construction, good manufacturing practices (GMP) and cleaning, sanitization, and sterilization processesPreferred Qualifications:
Experience performing process simulations and hydraulic modelingKnowledge of process instrumentation, monitoring and statistical process control Personal Qualifications:
Comfortable working in a startup environment, entrepreneurial mindset, and enthusiasm for innovationEmphasis on personal transparency and accountabilitySelf-motivated with the ability to work independently & with a teamAbility to manage workflow for multiple projects and tasksDetail-oriented, organized and capacity to meet deadlinesAbility to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, across organizational functionsExhibit a strong sense of professional and personal integrityInherent curiosity and creativity in solving problems to understand how things work Ability to handle and maintain the confidentiality of highly sensitive information Versatility, flexibility, and willingness to work enthusiastically within changing priorities