Bioprocessing Project Manager & Expert (32–40 hours)

Join us in building the future of precision fermentation

At NIZO food research we are on an exciting journey: designing and launching a stateoftheart fermentation upscaling pilot facility that will support a wide range of customers in bringing their innovative products to life and commercial readiness. As we expand our capabilities in aerobic and precision fermentation we are looking for a Bioprocessing Project Manager & Expert who wants to help shape this Biotechnology Fermentation Factory (BFF) facility our processes and our strategic direction.

This is more than a project management role. You will become a key scientific leader helping shape our fermentation capabilities guide customer projects and contribute to the development of a new pilot-scale infrastructure that will support the next generation of biotechnology products.

If you thrive where science engineering and entrepreneurship meet this is your moment.

Who you are

You are an experienced bioprocess expert with a passion for translating science into scalable realworld processes. You understand that successful projects require leadership communication and execution. You bring handson experience with aerobic and precision fermentation including upstream and downstream processing. You understand the technical depth behind fermentation processes and enjoy working in an environment where you can think on your feet troubleshoot in real time and guide complex projects from concept to completion.

You feel at home in a bioprocessing and pilotplant environment understand the significance of screening and optimizing on lab scale and you know how to navigate the dynamics of industrial CRO or CDMO settings. You combine scientific rigor with strong project management clear decisionmaking and a collaborative spirit.

What youll be doing

As a key member of our NIZO team you will:

• Lead fermentation and bioprocessing projects (both USP and DSP) endtoend from scoping and experimental design to planning execution analysis and customer communication for a diverse portfolio of customers and product types.
• Guide customers through technical choices scaleup considerations and practical decisions.
• Play a central role in testing and validating our new pilot facility ensuring it meets the needs of future CDMO/CRO projects.
• Help shape our internal knowledge base and strategic offerings in precision fermentation.
• Coordinate the team by collaborating closely with scientists lab technicians project managers operators QA and Sales/BD to deliver highquality results.

Your environment

Youll join a multidisciplinary team that values curiosity ownership and teamwork. Our environment is:

• Where science engineering and business come together
• Fastmoving and handson
• Technically ambitious
• Supportive and collaborative
• A place where ideas are welcomed and initiative is celebrated

Youll work independently while being part of a team that enjoys solving challenges together. This requires on site presence during scale up fermentation runs.

What you bring

Youll thrive here if you bring or come close to:

• An advanced degree (MSc PhD or equivalent experience) in Biotechnology Bioprocess Engineering Microbiology Biochemical Engineering or a related field
• At least 5 to 10 years of demonstrated experience with (precision) fermentation in food biotech pharma or similar with any combination of the following:
  • Practical experience with bioprocess implementation from lab to pilot or production scale
  • Industrial CRO or CDMO experience
  • Expertise and practical experience with a range of unit operations
• Strong project management and structured decisionmaking
• A problemsolving mindset and ability to adapt in dynamic situations
• Affinity for technical systems bioprocess equipment and datadriven optimization
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across disciplines
• Network in the food industry and willingness to travel as needed
• Business savvy and customer focus
• Fluent English; Dutch is an advantage

Why join us

• Be part of building a pilot facility in a thriving ecosystem for the developing food industry
• Influence our strategy capabilities and customer offerings
• Work on diverse cuttingedge fermentation projects
• Grow into a key technical leader in a rapidly developing field
• Join a team that combines scientific excellence with a sense of fun and adventure
• Enjoy a fair salary aligned with your experience and strong employment conditions including a pension scheme 25 vacation days and 13 ADV days based on fulltime employment.

If you want to help shape the future of fermentationand enjoy doing itthis is the place.

Practical Details

Location: Ede/Wageningen region The Netherlands

Start: As soon as possible

Contract: 32-40 hours

About NIZOand BFF

At NIZO we work every day to improve food and health through robust and scalable production solutions to feed a growing world. Since 1948 we have partnered with international food and health companies to develop innovative solutions in the fields of microbiology proteins and advanced food processing technologies. As one of the worlds most advanced contract research organizations we help companiesoptimizeprocesses and bring new products to market faster more sustainably and more our high-tech R&D center and Food Innovation Park in Ede we combine science technology and hands-on fermentation and processingexpertisein our food-grade upscaling facilities. To support the growing precisions fermentation market NIZO is currently building the BFF (Biotechnology Fermentation Factory) a pilot fermentation facility scaling up to 10000L which is planned to be fully operational in Q2 2027.