Senior Manager / Director, Strain Development

The Fynder Group emerged from NASA-funded research in Yellowstone National Park studying extremophiles: microorganisms that thrive where most life reaches its limits. At these extremes, biology revealed a different standard for performance. Inspired by this biology, we rethink what is possible in food, pharmaceuticals, and materials.

We offer a fast-paced, startup environment centered around solving complex, world-changing problems.

Position Summary We are seeking an engaged, strategic, and accomplished R&D leader to serve as the Senior Manager or Director of Strain Development (level to be determined based on qualifications).

You will serve as the resident technical expert on the engineering of filamentous fungi, leading a high-performing team of scientists and research associates. You will drive the implementation of molecular tools to genetically modify our strain and drive the development of strains expressing heterologous proteins.

The successful candidate will be instrumental in coordinating cross-functional collaboration with protein chemistry, fermentation, analytical, regulatory, and new business development. The applicant will be an accomplished leader and scientist with technical and business acumen to drive research projects from ideation-to-finish line.

Responsibilities

• Strategic & Technical Leadership
• Set Direction & Priorities: Manage and set strategic direction for scientific staff, engineering filamentous fungi, and characterizing proteins; translate high-level corporate OKRs into actionable technical milestones.
• Team Building & Mentorship: Build, lead, and mentor a productive technical team of scientists and research associates, fostering a collaborative culture where individuals develop technology you'd never achieve on your own.
• Innovation Management: Manage innovation activities, project proposals, and the execution of complex research projects within agreed timelines, maintaining business and technical acumen.
• Advanced Fungal Engineering & Synthetic Biology
• Strain Design & Builds: Design advanced strain builds to develop new products and realize the full potential of our Fusarium strain as an expression host.
• Tool Development: Develop and optimize cutting-edge molecular biology, synthetic biology, and gene-editing tools (including CRISPR/Cas platforms and traditional transformation methods) specifically tailored for filamentous fungi.
• Genotype-to-Phenotype Discovery: Lead efforts to discover deep biological connections between genotypes and key phenotypes of Fusarium to engineer improved strains with enhanced yield, stability, and secretion profiles.
• High-Throughput Screening, Automation & Data Analytics
• Biofoundry & HTP Screening: Modernize and scale high-efficiency micro-scale screening protocols, automation systems, and liquid-handling workflows to increase efficiency of fungal strain engineering and mutant screening.
• Data-Driven Insights: Champion a science-based, data-driven approach to solving technical bottlenecks, utilizing advanced statistical methods, Design of Experiments (DOE), and standard genomics databases.
• Multi-Omics Integration: Oversee the integration of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data, transcriptomics, and metabolic flux analysis to accelerate predictive strain engineering.
• Cross-Functional Integration & External Collaboration
• Cross-Functional Interface: Interface seamlessly with Fermentation, Protein Chemistry, Analytical development, Regulatory, Manufacturing, and New Business Development to ensure seamless tech transfer of optimized strains from benchtop to commercial scale.
• External Ecosystem Partnerships: Identify, engage, and establish internal and external technical collaborations with customers, industry peers, and academic partners to bring emerging methods into the company.

Position Requirements & Qualifications Education

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, or a related technical biological field.

Experience Metrics

• For Senior Manager: Ph.D. with 5–9 years of industrial biotechnology experience, including a minimum of 2–3 years of direct people management and project leadership.
• For Director: Ph.D. with 10+ years of industrial or academic research experience in fungal strain engineering, with a demonstrated, proven track record of building, scaling, and leading technical teams.
• Commercial Track Record: A previous track record of successfully developing recombinant microbial strains used to produce commercialized product(s) is highly preferable.

Technical Competencies

• Fungal Expertise: Expert knowledge of scientific principles regarding the culture, biology, and genetic manipulation of fungal species (experience with filamentous fungi platforms like Aspergillus, Trichoderma, or Fusarium is highly preferred).
• Molecular Toolbench: Absolute expertise in modern cloning techniques, DNA assembly methods, and advanced gene editing (CRISPR/Cas systems).
• Modern Systems Biology: In-depth knowledge of genomics/molecular biology software platforms, LIMS and ELN infrastructure, and analytical frameworks for processing NGS data.
• Statistical Rigor: Expert familiarity with statistical methods applied to Design of Experiments (DOE) and high-throughput data analysis.

Core Soft Skills

• Startup Agility: Comfortable navigating the fluid, fast-paced environment of a scaling startup.
• Communication Power: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to deliver accurate, clear, and concise technical reports and present scientific outcomes clearly to diverse stakeholders.
• Mindset: An innovative mindset, a robust "can-do" attitude, and an unyielding enthusiasm for engineering filamentous fungi for protein production.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.