Sr. Director, Manufacturing Engineering & Operations

Tierra Biosciences, a venture capital backed life science company, has pioneered a novel high-throughput protein production platform that produces hundreds of custom proteins on-demand. Our platform can make proteins faster than other technologies and has the potential to onboard novel methods quickly. We use cell-free synthetic biology to bring the power and throughput of genomics technologies into protein production. Our diverse range of customers engage in the creation of pioneering products in therapeutics, chemistry, biotechnology, agriculture, and food. At Tierra Biosciences, we play a pivotal role in expediting our customers' scientific exploration, enabling them to swiftly transform ideas into market-ready, life-changing innovations.

As the leader of Manufacturing Engineering and Operations at Tierra, the Senior Director will play a pivotal leadership role in running our overall manufacturing operations including hands-on manufacturing engineering leadership. This role involves leading metric-driven end-to-end manufacturing engineering, taking ownership of full cycle troubleshooting-to-resolution processes for production optimization, and spearheading detailed planning and implementation for planned growth initiatives.

The expertise and skills of this individual will be instrumental in driving Tierra's production excellence, communicating real-time manufacturing health to relevant cross-functional stakeholders, facilitating continuous improvement of manufacturing protocols and process, and leading the strategic planning and implementation of future capacity and capability expansion efforts.

Overall, we are seeking a hands-on leader who can contribute significantly to Tierra's protein production success and support a high-growth trajectory.

Requirements

Job Duties:

• Oversee all aspects of manufacturing operations, ensuring adherence to quality standards, regulatory requirements, and production schedules.
• Lead manufacturing engineering and operations staff, providing guidance, mentorship, and support to drive performance excellence.
• Responsible for managing day-to-day business of operations department to drive on-time deliveries, vendor management, and predictable production flow.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with different functional leaders to meet the company’s objectives in manufacturing.
• Recruit, train, manage, develop, and provide leadership to direct reports and team members.
• Ensure production goals that meet commercial demand are achieved, including productivity, quality, cost, delivery, and safety requirements.
• Manage budgetary responsibilities, forecasting resource needs, and optimizing resource allocation to meet production goals.
• Continuously develop, monitor and report-out metrics that ensure efficacy of processes, alignment with standard operating procedures, and improvement initiatives that impact all relevant company functions.
• Develop, implement, and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure continuous improvement initiatives, implementing best practices, and adopting new technologies to enhance manufacturing capabilities.
• Responsible for all aspects of material management to meet production targets, mitigate risks, meet unexpected demand, while managing inventory effectively and meeting Key Performance Indicators (KPI) targets.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts and resolve production issues to minimize downtime and disruptions by applying manufacturing engineering expertise to automate and optimize metric-driven processes to provide early alerts of potential problems for rapid interruption-free resolutions.
• Responsible for developing and maintaining Quality Assurance plans.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning within the manufacturing engineering and operations team.
• Provide regular updates and reports to senior management on manufacturing performance, key metrics, and strategic initiatives.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, technological advancements, and regulatory changes impacting manufacturing operations, incorporating relevant insights into strategic decision-making.
• Implement best practices in safety, quality control, and regulatory compliance within manufacturing operations.
• Participate in technology transfer of R&D innovations to manufacturing.

Position Requirements:

• BA/BS degree in biological sciences or equivalent; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in a synthetic biology and or biotechnology manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years of experience in leading manufacturing engineering efforts to troubleshoot and optimize manufacturing processes.
• 5+ years of experience leading and managing a manufacturing team in a production environment.
• Knowledge of diverse business functions and processes such as Product Development, Supply Chain, Quality, Regulatory, Finance, Customer Service, and Design Transfer.
• Demonstrated performance of consistently achieving and exceeding production output metrics.
• Hands-on experience performing QA functions and developing plans for team adoption.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment through utilization of exceptional organizational skills, including multi-tasking, problem solving, and balancing complex priorities.
• Ability to be a hands-on leader of process development and tech transfer.
• Experience in process engineering and working with suppliers to optimize processes.
• Computer skills including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Experience assisting with corporate budgets and G&A responsibilities.

Benefits

Tierra offers highly competitive salaries, equity, and benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, and 401(k). Legal authorization to work in the US is required. We are not able to sponsor individuals for employment visas for this job. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment verification form upon hire. This position is based in our San Leandro, CA location.