Senior Microbiologist

Sartori Company•Plymouth, WI

47d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Microbiologist – Starter Culture Program Lead will own and advance the enterprise-level starter culture strategy, leading culture development, molecular characterization, protected propagation (black-box methods), activity testing, and fermentation science. This role collaborates with Operations, QA, Procurement, suppliers, and R&D to protect IP, optimize fermentation, and ensure strain continuity.

Requirements

Master’s or Ph.D. in Microbiology, Food Microbiology, Molecular Biology, or related field required.
7–12+ years of experience in dairy or industrial microbiology required.
Experience with fermentation, starter cultures, and aseptic propagation required.
Strong background in molecular methods and microbial characterization required.
Excellent communication, leadership, and project management skills required.
Alignment with Company Values: Demonstrates behaviors and values that reflect the company’s culture. Sartori’s core values are family, commitment, authenticity, ingenuity, integrity, and humility.
Organizational and Time Management Skills - Ability to manage and navigate priorities while meeting deadlines, anticipating needs, and proactively resolving issues
Collaborative – partners with team members to realize better results and make a positive impact; engages stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives and foster shared understanding.
Accuracy – Ensures precision and attention to detail in all tasks, maintaining high standards for data integrity, documentation, and work output. Consistently produces error-free work and carefully reviews information to prevent mistakes.
Communicates effectively – Demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate thoughts and express ideas to any audience and actively listen to understand.
Learning agility & intellectual curiosity - Ability to quickly adapt to new challenges, acquire new skills, and apply knowledge in evolving environments. Proactively seeks opportunities to expand expertise, explore innovative solutions, and stay informed of industry trends and best practices.
Decision quality – Makes sound and timely decisions, using a mixture of analysis of information, experience, and judgement, weighs risks and benefits.
Resilience – remains composed and effective under pressure, maintaining focus and productivity in evolving environments; recovers quickly from setbacks and persists in the face of challenges.

Responsibilities

Leads the starter culture program including mapping, risk assessment, and contingency planning.
Oversees clean-room operations for culture propagation and sterile handling.
Develops rotational strategies to minimize phage risk and maintain reliability.
Drives development of back-up strains and continuity plans for high-risk cheeses.
Performs molecular characterization (genotyping, phenotyping) of strains.
Develops verification workflows for strain identity and performance.
Creates analytical methods to monitor purity, genetics, and culture integrity.
Develops starter culture activity assays and fermentation performance tools.
Models acidification curves, fermentation behavior, and performance prediction.
Investigates interactions between culture blends and milk/process conditions.
Designs and manages black-box propagation systems to protect proprietary blends.
Works with suppliers to formalize protected growth and blending processes.
Oversees co-manufacturing starter blend operations under confidentiality controls.
Creates new starter culture blends, formulations, and rotation strategies.
Supports proprietary flavor and texture development initiatives.
Collaborates with R&D to enable new cheese innovation.
Partners with Operations and QA on culture handling, fermentation troubleshooting, and process improvements.
Collaborates with Procurement on supplier management and continuity planning.
Engages with university research partners for advanced microbiology and fermentation work.
Maintains confidential documentation for strains, processes, and batch records.
Strengthens IP protection around blends, propagation, and trade-secret processes.
Supports GMP, HACCP, and clean-room compliance.