Research and Development Lead - Microbiology
hace 3 días
Aylesbury
Hartmann Young is partnered with an innovation led, premium beverage company at the forefront of alcohol-free fermentation, producing a range of sparkling teas, kombuchas, kefirs and next-generation fermented drinks. The business is scaling rapidly, with a strong focus on advancing fermentation science and building a distinctive, defensible product platform rooted in microbiology and process innovation. This creates an opportunity for an R&D Lead - Microbiology to take ownership of fermentation strategy, bridging R&D and production to drive consistency, scalability and product innovation across a growing portfolio. As R&D Lead - Microbiology, you will operate cross-functionally across production, quality, technical and NPD teams, leading fermentation development while translating scientific insight into scalable, real-world processes. You will be responsible for: • Defining and evolving fermentation processes across yeast, bacterial and mixed culture systems, • Driving innovation across fermentation, cultures and ingredients to enhance product complexity and control ABV, • Leading end-to-end fermentation development from lab through to production scale, • Owning culture selection, propagation and health across all fermentation cycles, • Embedding fermentation processes into production, including SOPs, troubleshooting and team training, • Leading root cause analysis and resolving live fermentation challenges in real time, • Establishing microbiological testing protocols and translating lab data into process improvements, • Managing traceability, documentation and quality standards across fermentation systems, • Building external partnerships across academia and industry to support ongoing innovation, • Defining and executing the R&D roadmap aligned with company growth and product strategy We’re looking for a hands-on fermentation expert who can operate at the intersection of science and production, with the ability to scale complex biological systems in a fast-moving environment. You will ideally bring: • A degree in Microbiology, Fermentation Science, Biotechnology or related field, • 5+ years’ experience in fermentation (brewing, wine, kombucha, functional beverages or adjacent), • Strong expertise across yeast, bacterial and mixed culture systems, • Proven experience scaling fermentation from lab to production environments, • Hands-on experience working within live production settings, • Strong problem-solving capability in dynamic fermentation environments, • Ability to translate scientific insight into clear, operational processes, • Experience operating in fast-paced, evolving businesses, • Strong collaboration skills across technical and production teams Why This Opportunity? This is a high-impact, specialist role offering: • Ownership of fermentation science within a rapidly growing, innovation-led business, • Opportunity to build and evolve a unique, scalable fermentation platform, • Direct impact on product quality, consistency and future innovation pipelines, • Close collaboration with founders and cross-functional leadership, • A hands-on role at the cutting edge of alcohol-free fermentation and functional beverages