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Associate Engineer/Engineer, Downstream Bioprocess

New York, New York

Helaina is a VC-backed biotech startup creating a new category of functional food products.

Our vision is to bring the functional properties of human proteins to food. Helaina will be the first company to put human milk proteins into food, defining a new category of consumer nutrition products focused on supporting immunity. We see a range of opportunities to use our breast milk proteins to enhance other types of functional foods for all segments of the population.

Helaina is backed by top VCs in the industry including Spark Capital, Siam Capital, Primary Venture Partners, and Plum Alley. We are a team of change-makers looking for our next team member who is intensely passionate about advancing synthetic biology for food and beverage products and redefining the future of nutrition.

About The Role

In this role, you will work in our NYC lab to strategize, plan, and perform experiments on the bioprocess downstream processing team. The successful candidate will be a hands-on, motivated self-starter with a strong sense of initiative and attention to detail. You will be responsible for contributing directly to Helaina’s company milestones by supporting recovery of our fermentation products through downstream process development, purification, and product characterization for the Bioprocess team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is hungry to work in a startup environment and ready to do the best work of your career.

What You’ll Do 

  • Lead and conduct downstream process development experiments at lab scale to increase product quality and yield.
  • Analyze experimental data to evaluate process performance and propose adjustments to improve efficiency and consistency.
  • Troubleshoot process-related issues in real-time and provide quick solutions to ensure operational continuity.
  • Translate findings from lab experiments to support scale-up to pilot and production scales.
  • Apply a fundamental understanding of protein purification unit operations to support process development, including tangential flow filtration and chromatography.
  • Collaborate with R&D teams to integrate experimental findings into larger-scale production workflows.
  • Maintain accurate records of all experiments and ensure compliance with safety and regulatory standards.
  • Stay up to date with advances in purification science and propose process improvements and innovation.
  • Travel may be required approximately 15% of time

Qualifications

  • B.S. in chemical engineering or related field with 2-6 years of experience; M.S. in chemical engineering or related field with 0-4 years of experience; Ph.D. in chemical engineering or related field with 0-1 year of experience (position level will be dependent on experience level)
  • Experience and understanding of purification techniques including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and chromatography.
  • Eager to troubleshoot through lab/experimental issues and discover new findings.
  • Strong knowledge of recombinant proteins and protein analytics (SDS-PAGE, Western Blots, HPLC, and other protein analytical techniques).
  • Energetic, creative, and personally motivated by the future of food and/or biological products.
  • Self-motivated to design, troubleshoot, and successfully execute protocols.
  • Effective communicator, both within a collaborative scientific team and in communicating science to non-technical audiences.
  • Bonus Points if you have:
    • Start-up experience
    • Scale-up experience
    • Protein engineering knowledge
    • Understanding of the upstream process
    • Statistical analysis experience

Benefits:

Helaina was founded on the belief that families should have freedom of choice.  We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace that does just that, supporting our team's health, wellbeing and professional development at every stage and milestone.  We are proud to offer comprehensive health care, generous parental leave and childcare reimbursement, equity packages and more.  A few highlights include:

  • Full medical, vision and dental coverage
  • Short and long term disability insurance coverage
  • 401k match (up to 3%)
  • Unlimited vacation days, including an all-company holiday between Christmas and New Year
  • Paid Parental Leave for both parents + flexible return to work program
  • Childcare reimbursement program
  • Commuter Benefits

 

Visit us at https://www.myhelaina.com/news to learn more about Helaina.

 

Helaina is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Helaina we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.  You may just be the strongest candidate for this or other roles.  For more information, please contact careers@myhelaina.com.  

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