Director of Chemistry, Surfactants - San Carlos, United States - Ruby Bio

Description

The Director of Chemistry will join the Ruby Bio team and be responsible for the synthesis, characterization and scale-up of bio-based surfactants for application in home & personal care, food, and industrial segments. Ruby Bio is an early-stage biotechnology company with the mission of making high-value chemicals in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner. Our proprietary microbial platform has unique and differentiating properties suitable for sustainable production of a variety of complex molecules that are expensive and / or difficult to manufacture synthetically, limiting their supply and use.

Primary Responsibilities

· Lead chemical research and development activities of bio-based surfactants including synthesis and characterization.

· Collaborate with internal application development, market development and bioprocessing teams to build a targeted pipeline of bio-based surfactants.

· Chemical process scale-up of surfactant synthesis for pilot/commercial production.

· Leverage knowledge of surfactant functionalities to aid formulation and/or application solutions.

· Identify opportunities for technical innovation and translate them to R&D initiatives.

· Deliver results for complex projects on time, through regular written and oral reports to management.

· Contribute to intellectual property with application write-ups and examiner actions.

· Mentor, train, and coach colleagues to build knowledge and expertise.

· Maintain and promote a safe work environment.

Competencies:

· Deep technical expertise in surfactant synthesis, scale-up and characterization.

· Deep understanding of surfactant chemistry including structure function relationship.

· Systematic and thorough knowledge of experimental design, principles, and execution.

· Good project management skills.

· Technical and business communication skills.

· Market and product Insight related to surfactants.

· Excellent multi-tasking, organizational, and communication skills.

· Interface cross-functionally with other R&D departments, business development and manufacturing groups to support commercial production of bio-based surfactants.

Education & Other Requirements:

· MS or PhD in Chemistry, chemical engineering, or related field

· Ten+ years of surfactant synthesis and scale-up in chemical industry.

· Excellent connection within technical and business networks.

· Additional background in surfactant applications development is a plus.

. Up to 15 % travel may be required.