Director of Strain Engineering

About the role

Switch Bioworks is seeking a Talent Director of Strain Engineering to lead and scale our strain development efforts. This role will oversee the design, construction, and optimization of microbial strains for agricultural biotechnology applications.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strain engineering team in designing and implementing genetic modification strategies
• Oversee high-throughput screening and selection of engineered strains
• Develop and optimize fermentation protocols for strain performance evaluation
• Collaborate with computational biology and automation teams to accelerate design-build-test-learn cycles
• Manage project timelines, resource allocation, and team development
• Drive technical strategy and contribute to intellectual property development

Requirements

• PhD in Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Bioengineering, or related field
• 8+ years of industry experience in strain engineering or synthetic biology
• Proven track record of leading research teams and delivering strain development projects
• Expertise in genetic engineering techniques (CRISPR, homologous recombination, plasmid-based systems)
• Experience with high-throughput automation and data analysis
• Strong understanding of metabolic engineering and pathway optimization

Qualifications

• Experience in agricultural or environmental biotechnology
• Familiarity with microbial production of small molecules or proteins
• Track record of publications or patents in strain engineering
• Experience working in a startup or fast-paced R&D environment
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

Pay

Base salary range: $180,000–$220,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.