Director, Protein Process Applications

[ABOUT AIR PROTEIN]

Imagine a meat company unlike anything that has come before! Air Protein™ is on a mission to impact climate change by revolutionizing how we make meat. Founded in 2019, we make protein from elements of the air.

Air Protein is a modern food company, crafting the world’s first air-based meats to feed us more sustainably, help renew the planet’s resources and eliminate compromise between nutrition, taste and climate impact. Using novel technology inspired by NASA, we convert elements found in the air around us into protein using probiotic cultures, then turn those proteins into any meat imaginable. It’s where cutting-edge science meets bold ambition to reinvent the way we eat.

Join our team of passionate scientists, engineers, and business leaders working to transform the future of food with solutions we never thought possible, creating meat that is nutritious, delicious and more sustainable. Air Protein uses less land, less water and is significantly faster to make than any other meat available.

In addition to the chance to work with cutting edge technology to help combat climate change and working toward addressing the impending food crisis, Air Protein employees also enjoy competitive benefits and total compensation plans and a collaborative company culture. If you join us on this relentless pursuit for more, changing the world will soon feel as natural as taking a breath.

Air Protein is funded by ADM, a world leader in fermentation technology, GV (formerly Google Ventures), and Barclays, one of the world’s leading financial institutions.

ABOUT THE JOB

The Director, Protein Process Applications leads all aspects of ingredient development for Air Protein, with a focus on development of proprietary processing techniques to deliver best in class taste, nutrition, and functional properties for the AP novel protein.  

This role is actively responsible to:

• Lead the vision and execution of Air Protein’s novel protein technology, including establishing proprietary methodologies and strong IP and patent protection 
• Build and lead the Protein R&D team across a number of technical competencies in order to establish an industry-leading function and deliver an industry-leading novel protein ingredient
• Lead our development efforts with our engineering team and external partners to design, build, and optimize protein downstream processing through lab, pilot, and production scale-up
• Drive application of state-of-the-art commercial technology in the production of Air Protein and related products
• Deliver a first-of-its-kind protein ingredient with industry leading nutrition, taste, and functional properties through leveraging scalable and novel process technologies; lead all aspects of experimentation and optimization of work 
• Drive analytical and sensory requirements in combination with partners  
• Establish and lead a culture of learning and experimentation at Air Protein, and champion an unrelenting focus on developing the most sustainable, nutritious, and scalable ingredients 
• Responsible for staying abreast of latest industry trends in process technology and food science
• Act as liaison for quality assurance, safety and regulatory efforts 

ABOUT YOU

• 10-15 years of experience in food/beverage industry working with dairy, plant-based proteins from the lab scale to production scale
• Degree in Engineering and/or Food Science, Biotechnology or similar discipline; experience in novel proteins is required
• Deep expertise in all aspects of protein processing including know-how of key process technologies in current commercial use, as well as understanding of the frontiers of protein science with key analytical techniques
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to act proactively to create exceptional experiences for internal and external audiences.
• Self-starter able to establish a vision and build a team, lab, and facilities from the ground up - combining the best of industry standards with an enterprising spirit
• Possess a customer first mentality with all stakeholders.
• Superlative communication skills, particularly the ability to communicate with tangible and lasting shaping of core values and standards.  
• Professional experience in roles requiring both independent creativity and collaboration with multiple stakeholders.

Air Protein is an equal opportunity employer.

Disclaimer:  This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed, and it is not intended to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

How to apply