Associate Principal Scientist, Fermentation - Lexington, MA

dsm-firmenich • Lexington, MA

4h • Onsite

About The Position

Are you passionate about advancing fermentation science and making a global impact? Join our purpose-driven team at dsm-firmenich, where innovation, diversity, and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do. We are continuing to build out our best‑in‑class fermentation capability at our Boston, MA Biotechnology Research and Development site to accelerate biotech and microbiome initiatives. As Head of the Bioprocess Team, you will link activities in fermentation and downstream recovery technologies with those in other functional disciplines, including strain engineering, data science, microbiome and analytical chemistry. You’ll manage a team of scientists in the Bioprocess Sciences Team, as well as lead close interactions with the Microbiome team and other global dsm-firmenich R&D, piloting, and manufacturing sites.
Your Key Responsibilities:
Define the Lexington fermentation strategy and roadmap; champion best practices in aerobic and anaerobic processing from millilitre to 10 L scales.
Drive continuous improvement of methods, experimental setups, and workflows across R&D teams.
Mentor, coach, and empower a diverse team of Scientists and Engineers, fostering an inclusive environment where all voices are values. Serve as a problem-solving consultant to internal and external project team members, including laboratory and biomanufacturing personnel.
Lead communications with internal collaborators, third parties, and strategic partners.
Work closely with the Lexington Strain Engineering Team and Microbiome Team to direct the development and implementation of (an)aerobic fermentation protocols to identify improved organisms and develop novel processes. Coordinate cross‑site experiments and knowledge transfer; clearly communicate progress and risks to stakeholders.
Ensure compliance to quality, environmental, occupational health & safety procedures; uphold aseptic techniques and contamination control. Promote a positive, safe and compliant work environment.
Work setting: Lab‑based leadership role with hands‑on experimentation and on‑the‑shopfloor coaching.

Requirements

• PhD plus 8 years of experience or MSc plus 15 years of experience in Fermentation Science, Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Metabolic Engineering, Microbiology, or related field - or equivalent industry experience.
• Extensive experience with bench scale (10 ml to 10 L) anaerobic and aerobic microbial fermentation equipment and technology leveraging yeast, fungi, and bacteria.
• Understanding of scale-up / scale-down of fermentation and downstream recovery operations.
• Previous industry and direct team leadership experience with excellent project management and organizational skills (Minimum 5 years of team leadership required).
• Exposure to lab automation workflows and digital bioprocess tools; comfort contributing to internal digital platforms. Experience with data analysis and statistical software packages.
• Background collaborating with strain engineering and analytical chemistry teams (omics, modelling, protein engineering) to translate strain capabilities into bioprocess wins.
• Organized, quality‑minded, problem‑solving orientation; thrives in collaborative, interdisciplinary environments as well as with external collaborator R&D setting.

Nice To Haves

• Broad microbial physiology and gut microbiome research expertise is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Define the Lexington fermentation strategy and roadmap; champion best practices in aerobic and anaerobic processing from millilitre to 10 L scales.
• Drive continuous improvement of methods, experimental setups, and workflows across R&D teams.
• Mentor, coach, and empower a diverse team of Scientists and Engineers, fostering an inclusive environment where all voices are values. Serve as a problem-solving consultant to internal and external project team members, including laboratory and biomanufacturing personnel.
• Lead communications with internal collaborators, third parties, and strategic partners.
• Work closely with the Lexington Strain Engineering Team and Microbiome Team to direct the development and implementation of (an)aerobic fermentation protocols to identify improved organisms and develop novel processes. Coordinate cross‑site experiments and knowledge transfer; clearly communicate progress and risks to stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance to quality, environmental, occupational health & safety procedures; uphold aseptic techniques and contamination control. Promote a positive, safe and compliant work environment.

Benefits

• Highly motivated, professional and committed multicultural and interdisciplinary team.
• An opportunity to put your scientific skills into practice with innovations in nutrition, health and beauty.
• A place to grow and develop your skills while you mentor and lead a team.
• A globally connected R&D environment with diverse perspectives, advanced facilities, international exposure, and support for professional growth through training and knowledge‑exchange programs.
• A commitment to science-based innovations with 2,000 scientists and $700 M annual Science & Research investments.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, flexible work arrangements, and support for personal and professional growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees