Senior Manager / Director, R&D

Our client is an innovative biotechnology company developing advanced microbial platforms for the production of recombinant proteins and other biologically derived products. The organization combines expertise in molecular biology, synthetic biology, microbial engineering, and bioprocess development to create scalable solutions for commercial applications.

The Senior Manager / Director, R&D will provide scientific and strategic leadership for a team focused on engineering microbial production platforms and advancing recombinant strain technologies. This individual will oversee research programs from concept through development, collaborate across multiple technical disciplines, and help establish next-generation capabilities supporting commercial product development.

Responsibilities of the Senior Manager / Director, R&D:

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team of scientists and research associates focused on microbial engineering and strain optimization.
• Establish technical strategy and translate business objectives into executable research plans and development milestones.
• Manage multiple research programs, ensuring projects are completed on schedule while maintaining scientific excellence.
• Mentor technical staff and foster a collaborative, innovation-driven research environment.
• Lead development of recombinant microbial strains for expression of therapeutic, industrial, or specialty proteins.
• Design and implement molecular biology, synthetic biology, and genome engineering strategies utilizing modern gene-editing technologies.
• Improve strain performance through optimization of productivity, secretion, stability, and overall manufacturing characteristics.
• Develop and optimize molecular biology workflows supporting platform technology development.
• Develop high-throughput screening methods and automated laboratory workflows to accelerate strain evaluation.
• Apply Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical analysis, and data-driven decision making to optimize development programs.
• Integrate genomic, transcriptomic, and other systems biology data to guide strain engineering strategies.
• Partner closely with Fermentation, Process Development, Analytical Development, Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Business Development teams.
• Support successful transfer of optimized production strains from research through process development and commercial manufacturing.
• Build collaborative relationships with external scientific partners, academic institutions, and technology providers.
• Present technical findings to executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.