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.
Primary Responsibilities • Lead chemical research and development activities of bio-based surfactants including synthesis and characterization. • Collaborate with internal application development, market development and bioprocessing teams to build a targeted pipeline of bio-based surfactants. • Chemical process scale-up of surfactant synthesis for pilot/commercial production. • Leverage knowledge of surfactant functionalities to aid formulation and/or application solutions. • Identify opportunities for technical innovation and translate them to R&D initiatives. • Deliver results for complex projects on time, through regular written and oral reports to management. • Contribute to intellectual property with application write-ups and examiner actions. • Mentor, train, and coach colleagues to build knowledge and expertise. • Maintain and promote a safe work environment.
Competencies: • Deep technical expertise in surfactant synthesis, scale-up and characterization. • Deep understanding of surfactant chemistry including structure function relationship. • Systematic and thorough knowledge of experimental design, principles, and execution. • Good project management skills. • Technical and business communication skills. • Market and product Insight related to surfactants. • Excellent multi-tasking, organizational, and communication skills. • Interface cross-functionally with other R&D departments, business development and manufacturing groups to support commercial production of bio-based surfactants.
Education & Other Requirements: • MS or PhD in Chemistry, chemical engineering, or related field • Ten+ years of surfactant synthesis and scale-up in chemical industry. • Excellent connection within technical and business networks. • Additional background in surfactant applications development is a plus.