Senior Director of Technology Development, MycoWorks
$175-200k
Plus equity
Travel ~10% of the time
Office located in Emeryville, CA
Creates new materials using mycelium
Open for applications
Creates new materials using mycelium
101-200 employees
Open for applications
$175-200k
Plus equity
Travel ~10% of the time
Office located in Emeryville, CA
101-200 employees
Company mission
To benefit the world with new materials that offer superior performance to animal leathers and plastic.
Role
Who you are
- The role requires a strategic technical leader with expertise in biotechnology, fermentation, and fungal biology
- Ph.D. or Master's degree in Biotechnology, Fermentation, Fungal Biology or a related field
- 10+ years in technology development, with at least 5 years in a managerial or leadership position in a relevant industry
- Strong leadership, project management, and communication skills are required to lead teams, make strategic decisions, and present complex technical concepts to expert and non-expert stakeholders
- Knowledge of biotechnology platforms, fermentation systems, strain engineering, fungal biology, analytical chemistry, assay and method development, data science and statistics, and material science is a plus
- Ability to zoom in (detail-oriented) and zoom out (consider big picture)
- Ability to seamlessly shift between a detailed, analytical focus and a high-level, strategic perspective
- Ability to directly manage, mentor and develop team members
- Experience leading cross-functional teams, strategic decision-making, and mentoring teams
- Ability to give and receive feedback, active listening and coaching skills
- Collaborative and proactive mindset
- Familiarity with project management methodologies, including budget and timeline management
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical concepts to non-expert stakeholders
What the job involves
- Mycoworks is looking for a Senior Director, Technology Development to manage the upstream process discovery and characterization teams
- The individual will develop technical plans to meet product specifications, correlate fungal physiology with final product quality, and oversee robust fermentation processes across various systems
- They must manage and mentor a technical team, collaborate across functions, and build partnerships with external organizations, to meet business and technical goals
- Develop comprehensive technical plans to achieve product specifications
- Correlate fungal physiology and metabolism to quality specifications of the final sheet product
- Experience developing robust fermentation processes in various systems (liquid, solid) and with a broad range of microorganisms
- Lead a strong technical team with 2 experienced Direct reports who are themselves managing teams
- Foster a collaborative and high-performing culture
- Coordinate cross-functional teams, to achieve technical milestones
- Oversee the design, development, and testing of new fermentation processes & material and mycelium characterization efforts
- Build and develop systems for technical workflows
- Collaborate with external partners, including universities, vendors and industrial partners
- Scope and establish new partnerships to meet current and future technical and business needs
- Oversee technology transfer activities between sites
- Identify potential bottlenecks or challenges in development and take corrective actions to minimize risks
- Present key technical outcomes and extract strategic next steps
- Resource allocation and management to meet technical milestones and business goals
- Collaborate with the Director of Technology and Innovation platform to enable smooth execution of technical work
Our take
A growing awareness of the damaging environmental impact of animal skin clothing is leading the fashion industry to seek alternatives. Alternatives to leather products have been designed in the past, but generally result in a compromise on quality and authenticity.
MycoWorks has created a biotech platform for fashion and luxury industries to purchase fungal-based biomaterial. Existing plant-based fabric companies such as Bolt Threads and Desserto already offer alternatives through fungal and cactus-based materials. However, MycoWorks differentiates itself from the competition by focusing on making its fabrics highly durable with no compromise on quality.
MycoWorks is currently focusing on offering its Mycelium fabric as an eco-friendly material for footwear and other clothing brands. However, they aim to scale their startup by developing materials outside of Mycelium and providing a broader range of future-proof materials.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
26% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Jan 2022
$125m
SERIES C
Nov 2020
$45m
SERIES B
Total funding: $187m
Company benefits
- Equity: Every full-time employee receives stock options as part of their compensation. We are all invested in and benefit from our company's success
- Health: MycoWorks offers medical, vision, and dental plans at no cost to employees, with optional coverage for partners and dependents. Among our competitive offerings are FSA accounts and a free Personal Health Advocate to ensure employees save time and money in accessing the best care
- Time off and leaves: We offer comprehensive time off and leave policies, and we encourage every employee to take time to rest, take care of themselves and their families and for personal pursuits. Our paid holidays extend beyond the traditional to build a culture that truly values a balanced life
- Flexible work schedules: Many of our opportunities are hybrid roles to support an inclusive workplace, accessible to all
- Retirement: All full-time employees are invited to contribute to a 401(k) program to support their long-term savings and retirement planning
Company HQ
Emeryville, CA
Leadership
Philip Ross
(Co-Founder & CTO)Philip is an Artist, Inventor, and Entrepreneur whose creative work is focused on the relationships between human beings, technology, and the greater living environment.
Sophia Wang
(Co-Founder & Chief of Culture)Sophia is both a Creative Artist and an Entrepreneur. Their creative practice includes choreography, performance, writing, curation, and producing original dance and multimedia works.
Eddie Pavlu
(Co-Founder)Eddie has been in executive management since they joined Elliott Laboratories in June 1997. Since then, they have started up a consulting company in Silicon Valley alongside founding MycoWorks and working for Underwriters Laboratories as operations director.
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