Back to jobs
New

Senior Director, Technology Development

Emeryville, California, United States

We’re on a journey to Grow the Future of Materials. How? By unlocking the unique properties of mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. Our patented technology, Fine Mycelium™, unleashes a new class of materials crafted from nature, engineered for performance, and built for a resilient future.We’re seeking passionate learners to join us in pioneering a materials revolution and creating an epic place to work.

MycoWorks offers competitive equity and benefits programs to support the health, well-being, and financial empowerment of all our employees.We root our relationships with our partners and one another in our core values: Be Mycelial, Cultivate Quality, and Grow the Future, and we're committed to building a diverse team and an inclusive environment where all employees belong. Women, gender expansive individuals, people of color, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ+ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Job Summary

Mycoworks is looking for a Senior Director, Technology Development to manage the upstream process discovery and characterization teams. The role requires a strategic technical leader with expertise in biotechnology, fermentation, and fungal biology. The individual will develop technical plans to meet product specifications, correlate fungal physiology with final product quality, and oversee robust fermentation processes across various systems. They must manage and mentor a technical team, collaborate across functions, and build partnerships with external organizations, to meet business and technical goals. 

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. or Master's degree in a relevant field, 10+ years of experience in technology development, and at least 5 years in a leadership role. Expertise in biotechnology platforms, fermentation systems, strain engineering, fungal biology, and analytical chemistry is essential. Strong leadership, project management, and communication skills are required to lead teams, make strategic decisions, and present complex technical concepts to expert and non-expert stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Technical Leadership

  • Develop comprehensive technical plans to achieve product specifications.
  • Correlate fungal physiology and metabolism to quality specifications of the final sheet product.
  • Experience developing robust fermentation processes in various systems (liquid, solid) and with a broad range of microorganisms.

Leadership & Team Management:

  • Lead a strong technical team with 2 experienced Direct reports who are themselves managing teams
  • Foster a collaborative and high-performing culture.
  • Coordinate cross-functional teams, to achieve technical milestones.
  • Oversee the design, development, and testing of new fermentation processes & material and mycelium characterization efforts
  • Build and develop systems for technical workflows.

Internal Collaboration & External Partnerships:

  • Collaborate with external partners, including universities, vendors and industrial partners
  • Scope and establish new partnerships to meet current and future technical and business needs
  • Oversee technology transfer activities between sites
  • Identify potential bottlenecks or challenges in development and take corrective actions to minimize risks.
  • Present key technical outcomes and extract strategic next steps 
  • Resource allocation and management to meet technical milestones and business goals
  • Collaborate with the Director of Technology and Innovation platform to enable smooth execution of technical work.

Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. or Master's degree in Biotechnology, Fermentation, Fungal Biology or a related field.
  • 10+ years in technology development, with at least 5 years in a managerial or leadership position in a relevant industry
  • Knowledge of biotechnology platforms, fermentation systems, strain engineering, fungal biology, analytical chemistry, assay and method development, data science and statistics, and material science is a plus.
  • Ability to zoom in (detail-oriented) and zoom out (consider big picture)
  • Ability to seamlessly shift between a detailed, analytical focus and a high-level, strategic perspective.
  • Ability to directly manage, mentor and develop team members
  • Experience leading cross-functional teams, strategic decision-making, and mentoring teams. 
  • Ability to give and receive feedback, active listening and coaching skills. 
  • Collaborative and proactive mindset.
  • Familiarity with project management methodologies, including budget and timeline management.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical concepts to non-expert stakeholders.
  • Travel ~10% of the time

MycoWorks offers world class benefits and compensation programs to support the health, well-being and financial empowerment of our employees. Our benefits include:

  • Medical, Vision and Dental plans at no cost to employees
  • Equity
  • Optional insurance coverage for partners and dependents
  • FSA Accounts
  • Free Personal Health Advocate
  • Generous PTO policy
  • Paid parental leave
  • Paid holidays beyond the traditional
  • 401(k) program

MycoWorks may contact you via text message regarding your application for this or similar opportunities. You can always text STOP to opt out.

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The targeted base pay for this role is $175,000-$200,000 . The actual pay is dependent on other factors such as training, skills, work experience and business needs. The target pay range is subject to change and may be modified. This role is also eligible for benefits and equity.

In our commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment, we recognize the importance of accommodating individual needs. If you require any specific accommodations during the application or interview process, please feel free to let us know. We are dedicated to facilitating a comfortable and accessible experience for all candidates, and will work with you to ensure your needs are met.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in MycoWorks’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.