Director Metabolic Engineering

6 days ago

Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Barrington James Full time 80,000 - 120,000 per year

Location:
Copenhagen (On-site)

Employment:
Full-time

A rapidly scaling deep-tech biotech organisation is hiring a Senior Metabolic Engineer to help build a next-generation platform for accelerating industrial biomanufacturing. The role sits at the core of strain development, pathway optimisation, and fermentation strategy — ideal for someone who thrives in fast, intellectually intense R&D environments.

About the Mission

The organisation is developing a breakthrough technology that radically accelerates enzyme and strain optimisation, enabling sustainable biomanufacturing at industrial scale. After an initial lean build phase, the team has validated its core technologies, established strong scientific collaborations, and is now expanding its technical capabilities with high-impact hires.

Role Overview

You will lead metabolic engineering efforts across platform development and applied industrial strain design. The work spans strain construction, pathway optimisation, high-throughput evaluation, and close integration with fermentation and analytics teams.

Key Responsibilities


• Design, construct, and optimise microbial strains for high-performance industrial applications


• Engineer metabolic pathways and regulatory networks for improved productivity, resilience, and consistency


• Analyse physiological behaviour and identify key metabolic bottlenecks


• Collaborate closely with fermentation teams to optimise growth conditions and production profiles


• Participate in technology development related to rapid strain improvement


• Mentor junior scientists and help shape a growing R&D team


• Contribute to hiring and broader scientific strategy as the organisation scales

Required Experience


• PhD (or equivalent experience) in metabolic engineering, systems biology, microbiology, biochemical engineering, or a related field


• Deep understanding of bacterial or yeast metabolic physiology


• Hands-on experience with strain engineering (gene knockouts, pathway rewiring, genome editing, etc.)


• Strong experimental design skills, from concept through execution and analysis


• Ability to interpret omics datasets, flux analyses, or physiology models


• Experience in an industrial or translational research setting is a strong advantage


• Familiarity with fermentation systems (bench to pilot) is highly desirable

Who Succeeds Here

People who thrive in this team typically:


• Love tackling hard scientific problems at speed


• Are comfortable debating ideas and embracing rapid iteration


• Care deeply about sustainability and the real-world impact of their work


• Combine obsessive attention to detail with an ability to see the big picture


• Are organised, emotionally mature, and generous with feedback

This is not a place for passengers — it suits builders, explorers, and intellectually hungry scientists.

What's Offered


• Competitive salary + meaningful ownership


• A creative, high-energy R&D environment

*Please note we receive a high number of applicants and cannot personally reply to every application though we endeavor too. If you have not heard back from us after 7 days, please take that as unsuccessful this time around.

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