Fermentation Scientist

Oath is a leading microbial sciences company that utilizes natural soil biology to offer innovative solutions to critical planetary challenges—the climate crisis and the shift to sustainable agriculture. We envision a world where these crises are reversed by replenishing Earth's microbiomes. Our solution is deployed globally, improving farmer livelihoods with teams in Rwanda, Europe, the United States, and beyond. Joining Oath means becoming part of a collaborative network that prioritizes high-quality scientific work alongside talented commercial teams and a broad partner ecosystem.

About the role

The Fermentation Scientist will develop, optimize, and scale microbial fermentation processes across submerged liquid fermentation (SmF), solid-state fermentation (SSF), and downstream processing (DSP), with a focus on Streptomyces. This role will help translate laboratory processes into robust, scalable manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize submerged liquid fermentation and solid-state fermentation processes.
• Design and execute fermentation experiments from bench scale through scale-up.
• Develop robust cultivation processes for Streptomyces and other microbial strains.
• Optimize media, inoculum strategies, growth conditions, productivity, yield, and process consistency.
• Develop and improve downstream processing (DSP) approaches for microbial biomass and product recovery.
• Troubleshoot fermentation and DSP performance and identify key drivers of process variability.
• Support process scale-up and technology transfer to internal manufacturing teams and external CDMOs.
• Develop process documentation, protocols, batch records, and technical reports.
• Analyze experimental and manufacturing data and translate findings into actionable process improvements.
• Collaborate closely with microbiology, formulation, manufacturing, quality, and external partners.

Qualifications

• PhD with 1–5 years of relevant industry experience in microbiology, biotechnology, biochemical engineering, fermentation science, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience with submerged liquid fermentation and solid-state fermentation.
• Experience cultivating Streptomyces or closely related filamentous microorganisms.
• Experience with downstream processing (DSP) and microbial biomass or product recovery.
• Experience with fermentation scale-up and technology transfer is a plus.
• Experience managing R&D vendors, CROs, CDMOs, or other external technical partners is a plus.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time domestically and internationally (Europe & Africa).
• Familiarity with Google Suite, Excel, Slack, and similar tools is a plus.

Location & Schedule

Hybrid role requiring regular laboratory presence at Oath’s Vacaville, California site (at least 3 days per week). Full-time, exempt position in the United States. Oath is not able to provide visa sponsorship or work authorization support at this time.

Pay

$100,000 – $130,000 per year plus equity.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Stock options