Sci- R&D - Molecular Biologist

This is a Research and Development (R&D) role within our central research organization on the Bioconversions team in our Glenview- IL Kraft Heinz Innovation Center. The successful candidate will lead technology development through the application of various molecular biology techniques. This includes basic understanding of the business needs- commercialization- designing and executing tests- analyzing data- drawing conclusions- documenting- and communicating results to both technical and non-technical audiences. Proven communication and collaboration skills are essential in this role.

The candidate must also have a proven strong technical background- leadership- intellectual curiosity- ability to think critically to apply prior knowledge and scientific principles to new situations- and project management skills. The candidate will have cross-functional team interaction with the scientific community/ecosystem outside of Kraft Heinz- internal brand teams- R&D- procurement- finance- operations- quality- regulatory- and manufacturing. This position requires an individual to manage assignments/tasks with a high degree of autonomy. Intellectual curiosity- ability to deal with ambiguity- and a collaborative attitude are a must.

KEY COMPONENTS OF THE ROLE:

• Work with cross functional teams to lead and support projects from concept to commercialization- including Marketing- Operations- Quality- External Manufacturers- and Procurement
• Adapt and apply scientific principles to new situations/products with some degree of autonomy
• Possess the willingness and ability to deal with ambiguity and think creatively to apply traditional molecular techniques in novel applications
• Identify and communicate high level implications of proof of concept results in relation to financial impact- scale up risks- and timeline
• Independently lead internal research projects- consult with other scientists- and lead external collaborations
• Demonstrate proof of concept to build business case around innovative ideas
• Design- support- and execute genetic research in a variety of microbial hosts- then summarize and translate results clearly for technical and non-technical teams

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strong written and verbal communication- interpersonal- and project management skills
• Familiarity with basic molecular biology computational tools such as BLAST or Clustal is required. Familiarity with advanced computational tools such as BWA- GATK- or SAMtools is preferred.
• Basic understanding of microbial physiology- metabolism- and energetics and impact of fermentation parameters on desired product
• Strong understanding of Design of Experiments- laboratory experimentation- scale up- and mathematical/data analysis skills
• Minimum of 2 years in technical role performing molecular and synthetic biology techniques either in industrial or academic settings. Experience with DNA/RNA extractions- PCR- DNA cloning and assembly- Next-Generation DNA sequencing (NGS)- and transformation of microbial hosts is especially desired.
• Understanding of basic genetic parts and how to combine them in a host to achieve a specific outcome.
• B.S. degree in Molecular Biology- Chemistry- Biology- Engineering- or related fields. M.S. or PhD preferred.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% of the time
• Strong critical thinking skills and ability to make connections to the big picture
• Experience scaling fermentations from bench through industrial scale
• Ability to build strong relationships and network
• Some experience with designing downstream processes to harvest desired product of fermentation

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