Sr. Manager - Trait Machine Production

---

Job description

Title: Sr. Manager - Trait Machine Production

Location: San Diego, California

Position Type: Full-Time, Regular

Required Education: MA/MS or equivalent relevant experience at a similar level required

Area(s) of expertise desired: Plant Cell Biology, Gene Editing, Ag Biotech

Job Description:
We have an immediate opening for a Sr. Manager, Trait Machine Production to help us revolutionize plant breeding. This position will be a part of a team focused on scaling our gene edited trait production pipeline. The position requires an MA/MS degree in Cell Biology, Biotechnology, Plant Biology, or related field with a minimum of 10+ years of experience working in a production and/or research & development environment processing biological materials. Alternatively, a BA/BS degree with 12+ years of experience is required.

The successful applicant will lead a team responsible for Trait Machine Production operations and development of an automated cell culture platform supporting its patented gene-editing technologies. This position will play a central role in building and implementing a vision of an automated and scalable gene editing production platform by overseeing a multi-disciplinary team focused on the generation, identification, and advancement of gene editing candidates through the tissue culture production pipeline.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversee a team (15+ direct and indirect reports) and participate in the day-to-day responsibilities of the tissue culture trait production pipeline, including media prep, production run planning, scheduling, logistics, handoffs, and processing of biological materials being advanced in the gene editing pipeline.
• Works closely with the group leader and the project manager to forecast and track resources and budgets, along with the development and maintenance of risk identification and mitigation strategies.
• Works closely with the group leader and the project manager to define and implement team objectives for the development and execution of the cell biology processes.
• Provide leadership, training and coaching of direct and indirect reports within the organizational structure.
• Implement robust quality system controls to ensure minimal production loss and maintain efficient processes.
• Identify ways to improve process efficiency and collaborate with development teams to transfer new technologies to the production pipeline
• Enable success of up- and down- stream activities in gene editing production system through cross-functional, matrixed collaboration.
• Promote communications and ensures that all team members and stakeholders are fully informed, knowledgeable, and current with project development and SOPs.
• Collaborate across department on the development of high-throughput biological processes and integrate with other functional teams to assess project needs, determine systems development direction, and ensure milestone achievement.
• This position offers an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual to broadly influence at all levels of the company from project conception to commercial scale production.

REQUIREMENTS:

• The candidate must have good theoretical and working knowledge of cell biology in a production or manufacturing environment and have the interest to apply that experience to plant cell biology and tissue culture techniques.
• Capable of troubleshooting tissue culture related procedures, identifying process gaps and participation in all steps of standard operating procedure development and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated experience to build, manage and lead a dynamic team across multiple shifts to achieve both technical and professional growth success.
• Proven track record of success in managing teams of 7-10+ reports, with multiple levels of direct and indirect supervising responsibilities.
• Experience establishing and reporting on metrics and Key Performance Indicators, root cause analysis and managing corrective actions to support operations excellence.
• Experience with laboratory information management systems, inventory management and database development.
• Leads by example and willing to work side-by-side with reports while using positive strategies to establish a professional environment of trust, respect, and collaboration.
• Has a strong sense of enablement with a demonstrated ability to achieve success through direct and indirect reporting responsibilities.
• Demonstrated track record of innovation and improvement of production processes.
• Broad scientific capabilities with a demonstrated ability to collaborate across functional teams, providing guidance and direction to achieve success.
• A skilled motivator, capable of influencing at all levels of an organization.
• Strong proactive communicator with demonstrated success using both oral and written strategies to communicate project status, and direction.
• An independent problem solver with a demonstrated ability to identify creative solutions to complex challenges and to improve process efficiency.
• Strong organizational skills and capable of identifying and managing external interactions such as service providers and other collaborations.
• Capable of achieving success in a dynamic and fast-paced Production and/or R&D environment, is a strong promoter and implementer of change.
• Prior experience working in an agricultural biotech and/or plant biology environment is highly desired.

For immediate consideration apply today!

Questions? Please reach out to Jessica at

You should know: Your safety matters! Vaccination against COVID-19 may be a requirement for this job in compliance with current client and governmental policies. A Kelly recruiter will confirm and share more details with you during the interview process.

Kelly® Science & Clinical is your connection to premier scientific and clinical companies looking to hire talented people just like you. Every day, we match science professionals with dream jobs that fit their skills and interests-it's the way we think job searching should be. Nearly 100 percent of our science recruiters have a professional background/education in science, so we know a thing or two about the science market and how to get you noticed.

At Kelly, we're always thinking about what's next and advising job seekers on new ways of working to reach their full potential. In fact, we're a leading advocate for temporary/nontraditional workstyles, because we believe they allow flexibility and tremendous growth opportunities that enable a better way to work and live (plus, did we mention we provide a ton of benefits ?). Connecting great people with great companies is what we do best, and our employment opportunities span a wide variety of workstyles, skill levels, and industries around the world.

Kelly is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing a diverse workforce, including, but not limited to, minorities, females, individuals with disabilities, protected veterans, sexual orientation, gender identity. Equal Employment Opportunity is The Law.

]]