Technical Co-Founder & CTO Job London area,Greater London England UK,Research/Development

Fabric Nano
· London (Euston)
· Hybrid, minimum three days in the office

The Brief

Fabric Nano is entering its next phase and is seeking an entrepreneurial Technical Co-Founder & CTO to determine and lead its technical direction.

The mission is to identify a compelling commercial opportunity, build the team and technology to pursue it, and deliver a convincing proof-of-concept within 12 months that can support further investment, commercial partnerships or other strategic opportunities.

We have capital, a well-equipped laboratory, established technical capabilities and the operational backbone already in place. What we need is an exceptional scientific leader to take ownership of the technical direction, make difficult decisions and deliver commercially compelling evidence.

Context

Fabric Nano has historically developed enzymatic alternatives to conventional chemical synthesis, using engineered biocatalysts to make industrial manufacturing processes more efficient and sustainable.

We are now exploring the next commercial opportunity for the company, building on our existing capabilities in biocatalysis, protein engineering and industrial biotechnology, while remaining open to compelling opportunities beyond these areas.

One area of particular interest is complex therapeutic peptide manufacturing, including enzyme-enabled approaches to peptide fragment ligation and modification. The ambition is to enable the manufacture of valuable molecules that remain difficult or uneconomical to produce using conventional methods. However, this is one opportunity among several, rather than a predetermined technical direction.

What we need is someone with the scientific judgement and commercial instinct to cut through the possibilities, identify the single most promising opportunity and lead a focused programme to deliver convincing technical and commercial evidence within a year.

The First Year

Set the direction.Critically assess the existing opportunity set, challenge our assumptions and select the programme that warrants the company's full technical attention.
Own the strategy.Define the technical approach, development milestones, budget and objective criteria for success or failure.
Build the team.Recruit and lead a small, exceptional technical team, hiring for capability and output rather than headcount.
Deliver the technology.Lead a focused development programme, remaining close enough to the laboratory to make informed technical decisions and resolve problems quickly.
Engage the market.Work directly with prospective customers, industry partners and investors to ensure the technology addresses a genuine commercial requirement.
Build the evidence.Deliver a robust, reproducible technical dataset and a clear commercial proposition capable of supporting the company's next stage of growth.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a founder-minded, hands-on scientific leader who has demonstrated the ability to turn ambitious science into commercially meaningful technology.

You will bring:

Significant technical experience in a relevant field, such as
biocatalysis, enzyme or protein engineering, peptide chemistry, bioprocess development or industrial biotechnology
.
A track record of taking technology beyond exploratory research into a convincing proof-of-concept, working prototype or commercially relevant process.
Strong scientific judgement and the ability to distinguish interesting research from technically achievable, commercially valuable opportunities.
Experience designing and directing experimental programmes, making prioritisation decisions and managing technical teams and resources.
The commercial awareness and communication skills to engage confidently with scientists, customers, industrial partners and…