Process Development Associate at Vow

About us

Vow is a cultured meat company on a mission to feed billions and create food that’s good for your tastebuds, your health and your planet.

We’re bringing together cutting edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary and design to  create new meats that meat lovers can choose selfishly because it’s nutritious and delicious, and we’re doing so in a sustainable way.

The role

We’re looking for a Process Development Associate to design and test mammalian cell culture bioprocesses at a benchtop scale to join our rapidly growing food company. 

You’ll work directly with operators on the factory floor, scientists, and other technical team members to design and test scalable & efficient cell culture processes to produce cultured meat. You will get to use a range of kit at different scales, from ambr15, to 2L stirred tank reactors, to rocking motion reactors, and design processes for 200-20,000L production reactors which are on site. 

In this role you will have the opportunity to work alongside incredible mechanical, automation, software, hardware engineers, process development scientists, procurement and supply chain specialists, designers and culinary specialists who are relentlessly passionate about food and creating delicious products in a sustainable way. 

The experience you bring

• Relevant bachelor's degree with 2-5 years of experience in process sciences or manufacturing in mammalian, bacterial or yeast fermentation
• Competence in aseptic technique, mammalian seed train maintenance, media and buffer preparation, and using lab equipment including laminar flow hoods, incubators, autoclaves
• Knowledge of bioreactors or control systems, and familiarity with cell culture instrumentation including cell count, basic metabolites, pH, gassing
• Demonstrated organizational, record-keeping, and problem-solving skills, with an attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication
• Demonstrated success working independently as well as in a team environment
• Ability to act with agility and juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• We are looking for candidates who can work autonomously and always feel empowered to find better and faster ways to do things, and think outside of the box
• Comfortable with basic data, statistical analysis, and plot generation; applying tools such as Excel, JMP, or Prism
• Nice to have: understanding of design of experiment (DOE)

You will

• Carry out seed train preparation, including vial revival, medium preparation, shake flask culture maintenance, and cell banking 
• Carry out bioreactor setup and cleanup, preparing sub-assemblies and lines, autoclave operation, cleaning and coordinating equipment and laboratory space
• Carry out bioreactor operation and management including operating controllers, troubleshooting behavior, and processing samples
• Independently plan, review and execute experiments, record data and prepare documentation such as reports and SOPs
• Contribute to project ideation and experimental design for how upstream processes and approaches can introduce different product qualities or characteristics
• Contribute to process design, process optimisation, continuous optimisation, scale-up/scale-out, and technology transfer into manufacturing in close collaboration with, manufacturing engineering, new product introduction, and manufacturing quality teams.
• Identify and drive continuous improvement of workflows, protocols and capabilities

What success looks like

During your first month, you will have successfully integrated into the process development team. By the end of this period, you will have:

• Developed a solid understanding of Vow’s upstream manufacturing processes, including trade-offs, pain points, and what is possible and practical
• Gained insight into the structure of different teams at Vow and how they interact
• Acquired an awareness of the company’s goals and how process development projects align with and contribute to them
• Demonstrated the ability to operate independently in the R&D lab, effectively using Vow’s systems (in-house developed lab management software, LIMS etc) and understanding the associated workflows
• Provided support on wet-lab projects

Within three months you will have 

• Delivered on multiple projects and contributed to discussions on what work should be prioritised versus archived or paused
• Reached a level of proficiency in operating various equipment as outlined in a training matrix

By the end of your first year at Vow you will have 

• Made significant contributions to the design and implementation of new or improved production processes for current and future products
• You will have helped train and mentor a growing team of research technicians

Who we are and why join:

• We are building a diverse, mission-led dream team of “Vowzers.” Our mission is to make food products for everyone. To do that well we need a workforce that’s representative of the people we serve. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view - so we’re building a culture to match. Be yourself and come as you are.
• Work on cutting-edge technology. We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, and food, to recreate the world’s most tantalising and unique culinary experiences. All without compromising on ethics or our planet along the way. Since our inception in 2019, we have held the title of being the first startup to cultivate meat from the cells of an undomesticated animal, been called The Spaceship of the cultured meat industry by Forbes and launched our first product under the brand Forged in some of the hottest restaurants in Singapore. 
• Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s top scientists, innovators, operators, and creatives with decades of industry experience. Despite our experiences though, we all strive to build, break, learn, and repeat. We see the impossible as temporary and strive to learn and support our company and fellow Vowzers' growth as much as possible.
• We’re fully funded and ready to go. We are a growing Aussie biotech start-up backed by Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Grok Ventures, Tenacious Ventures, P7 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and PeakBridge VC.

Vow perks and benefits:

• Everyone is an owner. In addition to competitive base salaries, each and every ‘Vowzer’ owns equity in the company so we can all benefit from our hard work and future success.
• Generous paid parental leave. We offer 8 weeks of paid caregiver leave and an additional 8 weeks paid leave for the birth giver.
• Generous relocation budget & support. Support for interstate or overseas team members and their families.
• Unlimited personal leave. At Vow we recognise that sometimes sh*t happens. We don’t want you to stress about work when you need to deal with an emergency or are struggling with something truly difficult. We offer unlimited personal leave to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day.
• Heaps of tasty samples from our culinary centre. Our fantastic "food inventors" on the Vow team are always cooking up new product prototypes, and all Vowzers are given the opportunity to taste, give feedback, and learn from their culinary prowess.
• An awesome converted warehouse “campus” in Alexandria. Complete with a glass-walled lab, 2 factories, shower and towel service, bike rack, free snacks, a culinary centre and plenty of collaboration and chill zones.