Director, Cell & Tissue Engineering

Vivodyne•Brisbane, CA

13h•$201,000 - $278,000•Onsite

About The Position

Vivodyne creates human data before clinical trials. We accelerate the successful discovery, design, and development of human therapeutics by testing on large, lab-grown human organ tissues at massive scale, driving technological advancement at the convergence of novel biology, robotics, and AI. We identify and validate new therapeutic targets and de-risk new therapeutic assets by producing clinically translatable multi-omic data from our proprietary, physiologically-realistic human organ tissues at unprecedented scale, speed, and quality. This enables us to produce more human data than all clinical trials in the U.S. combined. We’re financially backed by some of the most selective and successful venture funds, and we have already partnered with a majority of the top 10 multinational pharmaceutical companies to discover and develop better, safer drugs and dramatically reduce the burden of animal testing. Vivodyne is heavily focused on changing the way human organ systems are researched and the way therapeutic responses are evaluated. To help us in our ambitious mission, we are seeking an expert cell biologist to lead our biotech team at the interfaces of cell and tissue engineering. You will be an integral part of the team responsible for designing lab-grown, realistic, and immune-competent systems using our massively automated robotic platforms for growing 3D human tissues. You will leverage our advanced microfluidic devices to deploy these human tissues reliably, in order to discover, validate, and test the safety and efficacy of new drug candidates. This allows us to gather human data at AI scale before ever testing in clinical trials, circumventing the challenges and inaccuracies of animal models. As Director, Cell & Tissue Engineering, you will lead the design, development, validation, and scaling of human tissue systems that power Vivodyne’s platform for predictive biology and therapeutic discovery. This role integrates advanced tissue engineering, stem cell biology, microphysiological systems, and translational biology to create reproducible, high-fidelity human tissues that enable drug discovery, target validation, and disease modeling at industrial scale. This is a high-impact, hands-on, and on-site role (South San Francisco) requiring a player-coach who can both execute and lead cross-functional teams. This role demands a blend of biological skills, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to lead collaboratively in a team-oriented environment. You will contribute directly to the success and reliability of our products, playing a critical role in the advancement of our therapeutic discovery and development efforts. You will combine scientific leadership, operational execution, cross-functional integration, and strategic platform ownership to ensure that tissue products meet internal research needs, partner expectations, and long-term company objectives.

Requirements

PhD in Bioengineering, Cell and Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology or a related field with at least 2 years of postdoctoral experience in cell and tissue engineering; evidence of “top 5%” accomplishments.
Prior experience in the biotechnology industry (minimum 4 years) with a proven track record of leading and growing scientific teams.
Deep understanding of translational biology and drug discovery needs.
Expertise in scaling human-cell based systems and complex tissue models.
Experience with microfluidic devices, microphysiological systems, organoids, and/or organ-on-chip technologies.
Extensive hands-on laboratory experience in functional assays such as multi-color flow cytometry / FACS, proteomics (ELISA/Luminex/MSD/mass spectroscopy), immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy, transcriptomics (single cell RNA sequencing), cell proliferation assays, and cytotoxicity assays.
Ability to solve complex problems with minimal supervision, adapt to changing priorities, and interface with all levels of internal management, as well as program sponsors and subcontractors.
Demonstrated ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent written and verbal scientific communication to diverse teams and with program stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience with cell culture differentiation methodologies; phenotypic and functional characterization of primary cells; experience with isolation and culture of primary human cells; experiences with isolating blood components (B cells, T cells, monocytes) and culturing them in vitro, gene editing of primary human cells (lentiviral, CRISPR-based, or LNP delivery of RNA) and/or differentiating iPSCs are a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and continuous advancement of lab-grown human tissues (healthy and diseased) to create next-generation pharmaceutical pipelines and fundamental research on how human physiology functions.
Drive innovation in tissue architecture, cellular composition, maturation protocols, and functional readouts.
Establish design principles that balance biological fidelity, scalability, reproducibility, and throughput. Translate biological requirements into standardized tissue production workflows.
Define the tissue development roadmap aligned with Vivodyne’s platform strategy, therapeutic priorities, and partner requirements.
Evaluate emerging technologies in stem cell biology, cell reprogramming, gene editing, and cellular phenotyping.
Serve as an internal authority on cell biology, advising leadership on feasibility, timelines, and technical risk.
Ensure scientific rigor, experimental robustness, and data integrity across tissue development efforts.
Deploy engineered tissues at massive scale (1,000’s of conditions in parallel) for fundamental research on human physiology and to understand human responses to therapeutics or pathogens.
Build, lead, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers that is capable of navigating changing business needs.
Set performance expectations, provide technical guidance, and foster a culture of ownership, curiosity, and execution.
Recruit and onboard high-impact talent as Vivodyne scales.
Iterate quickly and apply a strong engineering approach to rapidly develop and improve new tissues, and overcome complex biological or technological challenges.
Partner with automation, hardware, and software teams to enable high-throughput tissue manufacturing.
Establish critical quality attributes (CQAs), release criteria, and process controls for automated experiments.
Drive continuous process improvement to increase robustness, yield, and consistency of lab-grown tissues.
Document your work in high detail using Vivodyne’s online software tools and notebooks, and be responsible for inventory management, procurement, and look-ahead planning related to the projects you lead and manage.
Define and implement functional benchmarks for tissue maturity and performance (e.g., physiological responses, molecular signatures, disease phenotypes).
Interface with AI, data science, software, robotics, and business development teams to integrate tissues into discovery and screening workflows.
Ensure tissues generate actionable, predictive biological data relevant to human disease and therapeutic response.
Translate partner and program requirements into tissue specifications and development plans.
Support internal and external project execution with clear timelines and deliverables.
Manage and oversee the planning, execution, and analysis of new experiments with Vivodyne’s platform, and contribute to the design and expansion of a capability roadmap.
Inform and collaborate with business development throughout the lifecycle of external-facing programs, including the development of project proposals and workplans, budgeting of programs, and execution of workplans.
Act as a scientific representative of Vivodyne in partner discussions, collaborations, and technical diligence.
Contribute to publications, presentations, and external scientific communication when appropriate.
Engage with academic and industry collaborators to extend platform capabilities.
Lead outcome analysis by coordinating with Vivodyne’s data science and AI teams, and reporting/presenting experimental data to internal teams and external stakeholders with an exceptional level of polish and presence.
Own R&D budgets, timelines, and resource allocation.
Balance exploratory research with platform deliverables and commercial commitments.
Identify technical risks early and implement mitigation strategies.