Associate Director, Process Development (Fermentation) (E. coli)

Location: Norwood, Massachusetts, United States; 70% in-office work model. Only individuals who qualify as U.S. persons are eligible due to U.S. export control requirements.

Salary: $142,500–$256,500 per year, with potential eligibility for an annual discretionary bonus, incentive compensation, or equity award.

Company

hirify.global develops an mRNA technology platform and medicines intended to transform how treatments are created and delivered.

What you will do

• Lead upstream and fermentation process development for E. coli production of recombinant enzymes, plasmids, and related biological materials.
• Manage a team and translate strain, vector, and expression-screening outputs into scalable, manufacturable processes.
• Develop and optimize high-cell-density fed-batch fermentation, including media and feed design, induction strategies, scale-up, and critical process parameters.
• Apply DOE, scale-down models, process monitoring, and data-driven methods to improve robustness, yield, productivity, quality, and process consistency.
• Lead microbial cell banking strategy, including generation, characterization readiness, storage, traceability, genetic stability, and documentation.
• Support technology transfer, root-cause investigations, technical documentation, process characterization, CMC deliverables, and regulatory activities.

Requirements

• U.S. person status is required; non-U.S. persons cannot be sponsored for an export control license.
• PhD in Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, or a related discipline with 5+ years of relevant industry experience; or MS with 10+ years; or BS with 12+ years.
• Substantial industry experience developing E. coli or other microbial upstream processes for recombinant proteins, enzymes, plasmids, or related biological products.
• Hands-on expertise in high-cell-density microbial fermentation, especially fed-batch E. coli process development.
• Strong knowledge of microbial physiology, metabolism, media and feed development, induction optimization, scale-up and scale-down, and process characterization.
• Experience with microbial cell banking, online or inline process measurements, technical leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and technical communication.

Nice to have

• Experience developing and scaling E. coli processes for recombinant enzymes or plasmids.
• Experience with GMP or GMP-enabling microbial cell banking activities.
• Experience with advanced feeding strategies, model-based feed control, PAT tools, off-gas analytics, capacitance, Raman/NIR, soft sensors, or process dashboards.
• Knowledge of downstream operations, tech transfer, deviation investigations, CAPA, change control, CMC deliverables, and regulatory interactions.

Culture & Benefits

• In-person collaboration supported by a 70/30 work model.
• Healthcare and voluntary benefit programs.
• Fitness, mindfulness, and mental health resources.
• Family planning support, including fertility, adoption, and surrogacy benefits.
• Paid time off, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and year-end shutdown.
• Savings and investment programs plus location-specific benefits.