Head of Manufacturing Operations (12-Month Contract)

About us

Vow is a cultured meat company on a mission to feed billions and create food that’s good for your tastebuds, your health and your planet.

We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary, and design to create new meats that meat lovers can choose selfishly—because it’s nutritious, delicious, and done in a way that’s radically better for the world.

The role:

We’re looking for a powerhouse operator to take the reins as Vow’s Head of Manufacturing. This is a rare chance to help shape the future of food at scale.

We’re not just building another food company. We’re building an entirely new category of meat. And we need someone to own the entire operating engine that brings that vision to life, from raw materials and cell cultivation to food manufacturing and global logistics. You’ll be the steward of world-class manufacturing, the architect of Vow’s scale-up, and the calm, focused operator at the heart of one of the world’s most ambitious food startups.

Vow has already achieved what most cultured meat companies dream about: regulatory approval, commercial production, and live sales in the market in Singapore. With our launch in Australia and New Zealand expected imminently, now, it’s time to move from thousands of servings to millions, and you’ll lead the team that makes that possible.

You’ll partner closely with our CEO, lead and grow high-performing teams across manufacturing, supply chain, quality assurance, and facilities, and ensure that Vow’s operations scale seamlessly to match our ambitions.

Who you are:

• Deep operator. You have built, led, and scaled operational functions that are complex, fast-moving, and quality-critical
• Systems thinker. You can zoom out to architect the big picture, then dive deep into the details when needed. You naturally spot bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and you're always looking for ways to build better systems. You're comfortable leveraging digital tools and data systems to drive decisions, automate operations, and enable efficient, data-driven scaling.
• Calm under pressure. You’re grounded and focused when things get intense. You’re confident in uncertainty, and you thrive in environments that are scaling fast.
• Builder of people. You’ve grown high-performing teams and love coaching leaders to unlock their best. You build accountability, trust, and clarity everywhere you go.
• Ambitious and relentless. You're not afraid of big goals. You’re focused, fast, and tenacious about execution.
• Mission-driven. You want your life’s work to matter and you care deeply about creating a more sustainable, more delicious food system for the planet.

(We are open to and able to sponsor international candidates for this role and provide relocation support to make the move easier)

The experience you’ll bring:

• 7+ years in operations, manufacturing, supply chain, or general management, with at least 3 years in executive or senior leadership roles.
• Proven track record scaling complex manufacturing or supply chain operations from startup to global scale.
• Deep experience with regulatory compliance, quality systems, and operational risk management in regulated, high-performance environments.
• Demonstrated success in building and developing strong, empowered teams.
• You’ve worked closely with product, commercial, and R&D teams to align operations with the broader business—and made the whole system sing.

You will:

• Lead all operational teams across manufacturing, supply chain, facilities, logistics, and more.
• Build scalable systems that ensure we meet our quality, regulatory, and cost goals while enabling rapid scale.
• Own the delivery of Vow’s growth plan from the inside - ensuring product gets made, shipped, and loved in every market we enter.
• Champion operational excellence, building a culture of continuous improvement and high performance.
• Collaborate with the CEO and executive team to steer Vow’s long-term strategy and execution.

What success looks like:

• In 30 days, you’ve mapped every element of our operational landscape, from supply chain vulnerabilities to production capacity to cost drivers. You’ve identified immediate inefficiencies and implemented quick wins that deliver real results. You’ve assessed your team and made the calls needed to unlock performance.
• In 90 days, you’ve overhauled key systems to unlock scale and reduce cost, eliminated bottlenecks in production or logistics, and set a new standard for operational excellence. You’ve delivered measurable improvements in yield, COGS, and throughput while rallying the team around clear goals and accountability.
• In 6 months, you’ve turned operations into a strategic weapon. Production is humming, costs are falling, quality is impeccable, and the team is firing. We’re shipping products reliably and confidently to multiple markets. You’ve built a forecast-driven, demand-responsive engine that’s ready to scale without breaking.
• In 12 months, you’ve architected the future of Vow’s global operations. We’re no longer thinking in batches, we’re moving in tons. We’re operating with precision, confidence, and efficiency across every market. Vow has become known for world-class execution and speed, and you’re the person the team credits for making it happen.

Who we are and why join:

• We are building a diverse, mission-led dream team of “Vowzers.” Our mission is to make food products for everyone. To do that well we need a workforce that’s representative of the people we serve. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view - so we’re building a culture to match. Be yourself and come as you are.
• Work on cutting-edge technology. We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, and food, to recreate the world’s most tantalising and unique culinary experiences. All without compromising on ethics or our planet along the way. Since our inception in 2019, we have held the title of being the first startup to cultivate meat from the cells of an undomesticated animal, been called The Spaceship of the cultured meat industry by Forbes and launched our first product under the brand Forged in some of the hottest restaurants in Singapore.
• Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s top scientists, innovators, operators, and creatives with decades of industry experience. Despite our experiences though, we all strive to build, break, learn, and repeat. We see the impossible as temporary and strive to learn and support our company and fellow Vowzers' growth as much as possible.
• We’re fully funded and ready to go. We are a growing Aussie biotech start-up backed by Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Grok Ventures, Tenacious Ventures, P7 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and PeakBridge VC.

Vow perks and benefits:

• Unlimited personal leave. At Vow we recognise that sometimes sh*t happens. We don’t want you to stress about work when you need to deal with an emergency or are struggling with something truly difficult. We offer unlimited personal leave to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day.
• Heaps of tasty samples from our culinary centre. Our fantastic "food inventors" on the Vow team are always cooking up new product prototypes, and all Vowzers are given the opportunity to taste, give feedback, and learn from their culinary prowess.
• An awesome converted warehouse “campus” in Alexandria. Complete with a glass-walled lab, 2 factories, shower and towel service, bike rack, free snacks, a culinary centre and plenty of collaboration and chill zones.
• Human and dog friendly office! An inclusive community and culture, in a welcoming office, complete with friendly “Vowzer” dogs!
• A variety of social clubs. We encourage all our Vowzers to build the culture with us and share what you love by creating social clubs across the business. From book clubs to hiking groups, we’re always looking for ways to learn and engage with our team.