Process Engineer, I​/II: Downstream Processing

At New Culture, we are making cow cheese without the cow. Dairy cheese is unsustainable and plant-based cheeses don’t work. Ours are sustainable, healthy, ethical, and indistinguishable from current dairy options in taste, texture, and function. Using fermentation to produce dairy proteins, food science to combine those proteins with natural ingredients, and traditional cheese making methods to make any cheese of choice, we are bringing about a new culture for the cheese industry.

We are a Bay Area-based, venture-backed startup in an exciting growth and rapid expansion phase. We are looking for a Process Engineer I/II:
Downstream Processing to join us in leading the global transformation to an animal-free dairy future. As an early member of the team, you will have significant influence and responsibility in determining the success and trajectory of New Culture. The ideal candidate is looking for a new challenge in a fast-moving, collaborative environment, has previous experience in downstream processing of fermentation-derived ingredients, and is comfortable working in laboratory, pilot plant and production environments.

• Generating laboratory data to support development, scale-up and optimization of New Culture’s downstream processes

• Enabling transfer of New Culture downstream processes to our piloting and scale-up partners, including generation of tech transfer documentation, review of SOPs and batch records, reconciliation of data required to validate scale-up success

• Providing on-site and virtual troubleshooting support during scale-up runs, identifying opportunities for improvement in protein quality and cost of production

• Working closely with our development and operations teams to select, specify and support commissioning of new DSP equipment and systems

• Supporting process and techno-economic modeling efforts that will guide future process development efforts at New Culture

• BS Degree in Chemical/Biochemical Engineering or closely-related discipline

• 1-3 years of relevant industry experience

• Previous experience working with at least 3 of the following downstream operations at >100mL scale in a laboratory, pilot plant or production environment: cell disruption, centrifugation, distillation, cross-flow filtration, reactive separations, chromatography, drying

• Attention to detail in observation and documentation, familiarity with statistical analysis tools, e.g. JMP, familiarity with LIMS systems.

• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs, stand for extended periods (up to 4 hours), and navigate the facility (including stairwells if necessary), with or without reasonable accommodation.

• Strong safety awareness, compliance with New Culture and CDMO EHS policies.

• Strong organizational and cross-functional communication skills

• Authorization to work in the US

• Experience with supporting tech transfer of microbial fermentation processes

• Experience with bench-scale/ early stage process development for protein purification

• Experience working with dairy/food ingredients

We look for candidates who are team players, learners, doers, and hungry to make a difference in the world. Creativity and resourcefulness, honesty and empathy go a long way. Our five core values guide us on our path to achieving our mission.

Determination with Kindness | Have the resolve, the drive, and the will to succeed, but do it with empathy, encouragement, and compassion. In the face of adversity we will only excel as a team by keeping kindness at the forefront of everything we do.

Creativity with Transparency | Creativity, persistence, questioning, and crazy ideas to solve hard problems are essential to our work. We do all of this out in the open while being honest and forthright about the new things we’re trying, getting feedback and input from our teammates along the way.

Teamwork with Rigor | Hold yourself and those around you to high standards and understand how your responsibilities are interconnected with others’. As much as you rely on your teammates, they’re relying on you, and only with consistent communication and rigorous teamwork will we achieve…