Director of Chemistry, Surfactants

  • San Carlos
  • Ruby Bio
The Director of Chemistry will join the Ruby Bio team and be responsible for the synthesis, characterization and scale-up of bio-based surfactants for application in home & personal care, food, and industrial segments. Ruby Bio is an early-stage biotechnology company with the mission of making high-value chemicals in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner. Our proprietary microbial platform has unique and differentiating properties suitable for sustainable production of a variety of complex molecules that are expensive and / or difficult to manufacture synthetically, limiting their supply and use.<br><br><strong>Primary Responsibilities</strong><br>&bull; Lead chemical research and development activities of bio-based surfactants including synthesis and characterization. <br>&bull; Collaborate with internal application development, market development and bioprocessing teams to build a targeted pipeline of bio-based surfactants.<br>&bull; Chemical process scale-up of surfactant synthesis for pilot/commercial production.<br>&bull; Leverage knowledge of surfactant functionalities to aid formulation and/or application solutions.<br>&bull; Identify opportunities for technical innovation and translate them to R&D initiatives.<br>&bull; Deliver results for complex projects on time, through regular written and oral reports to management.<br>&bull; Contribute to intellectual property with application write-ups and examiner actions.<br>&bull; Mentor, train, and coach colleagues to build knowledge and expertise.<br>&bull; Maintain and promote a safe work environment. <br><br><strong>Competencies:</strong><br>&bull; Deep technical expertise in surfactant synthesis, scale-up and characterization.<br>&bull; Deep understanding of surfactant chemistry including structure function relationship.<br>&bull; Systematic and thorough knowledge of experimental design, principles, and execution.<br>&bull; Good project management skills.<br>&bull; Technical and business communication skills.<br>&bull; Market and product Insight related to surfactants.<br>&bull; Excellent multi-tasking, organizational, and communication skills.<br>&bull; Interface cross-functionally with other R&D departments, business development and manufacturing groups to support commercial production of bio-based surfactants.<br><br><strong>Education & Other Requirements:</strong><br>&bull; MS or PhD in Chemistry, chemical engineering, or related field<br>&bull; Ten+ years of surfactant synthesis and scale-up in chemical industry.<br>&bull; Excellent connection within technical and business networks.<br>&bull; Additional background in surfactant applications development is a plus.<br><br>. Up to 15 % travel may be required.