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.
Position Responsibilities:
Manages the operation of the pilot facility in the evaluation, modification, experimentation and development of biomaterials/materials/chemistry processing technology and new productsLead and collaborate with others to solve complex problems, explain difficult issues, and works to build consensus across the team and internal stakeholdersWill need to analyze, interpret data and be able to propose hypotheses as explanations of phenomena, and design experimental studies to test (disprove) these hypotheses!Will lead process engineering peer reviews of design of experiments, data analysis, production trials and standardization to drive operational excellence and development of team talentResearches, evaluates and recommends processing equipment, systems or methods to develop new products including, where possible, automation and optimizationPrepares pilot-scale and full-scale costing for new products/processesWorks with Director of R&D to shape and develop technology and engineering roadmapsThis role works with a team of other highly skilled Scientists on the Biomaterials team as well as the broader functional and program teams within Natures Fynd R&DCoordinates activities with outside contractors, suppliers, and vendorsExperience:
PhD degree in Chemistry / Chemical Engineering or related field of study or equivalent experienceMinimum 5 years of experience in a relevant industry in scaling up novel processes and technologies (chemical, manufacturing, industrial or mechanical engineering)Deep understanding of Design of Experiment & JMP experience with strong understanding of statistical analysis applied to operationsKnowledge and understanding of extrusion/injection molding/paper & pulp processing methods and relevant chemistries is preferredDemonstrated success working cross-functionally across engineering, marketing, business developmentHands-on experience with analytical techniques and methodologies, e.g., DSC, TGA, Instron, FT-IR, UV/Vis Spectrophotometer, optical microscopes and various wet chemical techniques such as HPLC, LCMS, IC is a plusSix sigma, LEAN, Agile qualifications with applied experience in a manufacturing environment is a plusPersonal Qualifications:
Strong initiative to lead impactful process improvement projects by applying structured problem-solving methodologiesStrong project planning, organization, and time management skillsStrong ability to quickly identify property/structure/function relationshipsRole requires strong ability to take unclear goals and targets forward by formulating a plan which brings clarity and focus to achieve the work we are going afterAbility to work successfully across a matrixed organizationEmphasis on personal transparency and accountabilityStrong written & verbal communication skills – cultural awareness requiredStrong ability for cross team collaborationAbility to dream, think, tackle, and growBenefits:
Comprehensive health care benefitsParticipation in Employee Stock Ownership ProgramCompetitive compensation commensurate with experienceOpportunity to join a company with an aggressive growth trajectory that will revolutionize multiple industries