Technical Manager; R&D and Scale-up

Salary:
To be negotiated, based on experience

Location:
Nottingham, UK

Nova Biochem is a climate-tech company pioneering the transformation of industrial by-products into high-value, sustainable chemicals. Using our proprietary hydrothermal depolymerisation process, we convert lignin-rich residues from pulping and agriculture into renewable aromatic building blocks used in coatings, plastics, and resins - replacing fossil inputs and cutting emissions at the source.

Our mission is to unlock a circular, low-carbon model for industrial chemistry - creating new value from waste while reducing millions of tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Based in Nottingham, we’re entering a scale‑up phase, expanding lab and pilot operations, delivering a €7.5M EU-funded project, and laying the groundwork for commercialisation.

This is a pivotal moment to join a small, mission‑driven team determined to reshape the chemical industry through practical innovation.

We are seeking a Technical Manager to take ownership of the planning, coordination and delivery of Nova Biochem’s R&D and technical development programme.

Working between the CEO and our technical team, you will turn strategic priorities into a structured programme of R&D, process development and scale‑up activity. You will ensure technical questions are clearly defined, work is properly sequenced, results are critically reviewed and there is a clear understanding of what needs to happen next.

This is not a project administration role, nor is it primarily a bench‑based research position. You will need enough scientific and technical depth to understand our technology, challenge assumptions and apply sound judgement to experimental results and technical decisions.

This is an opportunity to play a central role in taking a novel chemical process from laboratory development through increasingly larger‑scale demonstration, while building the technical discipline and ways of working needed for future commercialisation.

• Translate company priorities into clear R&D, process development and scale‑up plans.
• Own and maintain Nova's technical development plan, ensuring R&D, process development and scale‑up activities are appropriately prioritised, sequenced and resourced, with clear next steps.
• Coordinate work across research, analytics, process operations and engineering to keep technical development moving effectively. Work closely with the Project & Operations Manager on resources, timelines and wider project coordination, while owning the technical content, priorities and sequencing of the R&D programme.
• Establish clear objectives, owners and expected outcomes for technical activities and hold the team accountable for delivery. Review significant experimental programmes before execution to ensure the objectives, approach, required data and success criteria are clear.
• Plan technical work ahead, identifying equipment, materials, analytical requirements, external expertise, dependencies, risks and blockers early enough for appropriate action to be taken.
• Own the technical planning of prototype campaigns and coordinate the progression of successful developments from laboratory scale through TRL5 and TRL6 towards industrial demonstration.

• Review experimental and process results with the technical team and critically assess whether the evidence supports the conclusions being drawn.
• Ensure technical work leads to clear conclusions, decisions and next steps rather than simply generating data.
• Challenge assumptions constructively and identify gaps requiring further investigation.
• Maintain a clear view of technical progress, priorities and development pathways across Nova Biochem.
• Provide…