Head of R&D

Company: Climax Foods
Location: Berkeley
Posted on: May 23, 2023

Job Description:

About the company
Climax Foods is on a mission to revolutionize the way we eat.
We're bringing together the brightest minds in data science and food science to replace animals with more efficient ways of transforming plants into the foods we love. Using sophisticated data science and machine learning methods, we are unlocking the entire plant kingdom, reaching the pinnacle of taste, texture, and nutrition.
Our team marries years of experience in inventing and productionizing cutting-edge machine learning and data science tools at companies like Google and SpaceX with operational excellence leading plant-based food companies from the early R&D stage to billion dollar valuations like Impossible Foods and JUST.
Climax Foods is backed by mission-aligned investors who bring strategic value allowing us to scale quickly to meet the urgent need for a more sustainable and safe food system, without sacrificing the culturally rich experience of delicious food.
Working at Climax Foods:
We believe in the power of data. Not only in how we are reinventing food, but also in how we work together, hire, and recruit. We put people first. The data is clear that a culture of belonging through inclusive and equitable policies, practices, and structures leads to the most innovative teams. We welcome applications from individuals from every unique background. We also believe that compensating fairly is critical to making our company sustainable, equitable, and inclusive.
The Opportunity
As VP/Director of R&D at Climax Foods, you will oversee and guide all research activities at Climax Foods. You will work with leaders and teams across data science, protein functionality, chemical analytics, microbiology, and food science guiding Climax's overall R&D strategy to achieve key company-wide product development milestones. You will utilize Climax's modeling, prototyping, and assay development pipeline to lead new product development and innovate on the existing product pipeline.
You will also work closely with leadership and business units to establish strategies to accomplish Climax Foods' vision to accelerate the world's transition away from environmentally toxic animal agriculture practices by developing best-in-class plant-based dairy products that can out-compete to their animal-derived counterparts in functionality, taste, smell, cost, and nutrition.
What You'll Do

• 
  
• Oversee all R&D efforts at a heavily product-focused and transformative food technology startup.
  
• Provide leadership, planning, and key input to critical areas including ingredient technologies, data science, product development, process development, R&D strategy, and IP strategy.
  
• Guide and coordinate between the product development, data science, flavor science, microbiology/fermentation, and protein science teams to ensure progress towards key product development milestones.
  
• Take ownership of and deliver on research projects that align with key business initiatives.
  
• Assist leadership in developing a comprehensive research strategy designed to achieve company-wide product development milestones.
  
• Actively support Climax's innovation process all the way from brainstorming and ideation sessions to execution and commercialization strategy.
  
• Monitor and analyze scientific developments across all areas of R&D and disseminate critical information and takeaways to key stakeholders.
  
• Constantly be on the lookout for innovative new processes and technologies to improve Climax Foods' R&D operations.
  
• Actively preserve all forms of intellectual and material property, support IP development, and ensure strict confidentiality of activities and information.
  
  Who You Are
  
  • 
    
  • You're an effective 'doer' and 'director' - you know how to prioritize for yourself and your team, strategically delegate, and execute strategic priorities with excellent execution.
    
  • You're prepared to work at the relentless pace of a rapidly progressing startup like Climax Foods.
    
  • You're a lifelong learner with an undying willingness to integrate new learnings into existing knowledge and expertise.
    
  • You're a team player and effective leader capable of adapting quickly to evolving priorities and comfortable with ambiguity.
    
  • You're ambitious, optimistic, and tenaciously curious - you have a burning desire to tackle big challenges.
    
    Required Skills
    
    • 
      
    • Ph.D. in a related field such as Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Food Science with 5+ years of post-Ph.D. experience
      
    • 5+ years of experience managing multiple units within a fast-paced R&D organization.
      
    • Experience across the entire product development lifecycle from R&D to commercialization
      
    • Background in life sciences, biology, data science, and/or food science.
      
    • Passion for plant-based food innovation and its potential positive impact on the environment and health factors
      
    • A knack for collecting rich data sets and aggregating them into powerfully actionable models
      
    • Proven record of innovative and/or fundamental contributions to protein-related research, technology development, or product development
      
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to effectively describe technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
      
    • Ridiculous attention to detail
      

Keywords: Climax Foods, Berkeley , Head of R&D, Other , Berkeley, California