As Verley scales up its proprietary processes from laboratory to full-scale commercial production, we are reinforcing our upstream processing (USP) expertise. The Senior Process Engineer USP will act as a subject matter expert (SME) for microbial fermentation, ensuring the robustness and scalability of our production processes. Reporting to the Lead Process Engineer, this role bridges R&D and industrialization, supporting the development, optimization, and transfer of fermentation processes to our external manufacturing partners.

This position requires strong technical expertise in USP, hands-on involvement in process development and troubleshooting, and the ability to collaborate closely with internal R&D teams as well as external CMOs.

Key Responsibilities

Process Development & Scale-Up

• Lead USP development activities from laboratory scale through to commercial manufacturing (strain inoculation, seed train, fed-batch/continuous fermentation strategies).

• Optimize productivity, yield, and process robustness in coordination with R&D teams.

• Define and validate critical process parameters; contribute to process characterization and validation studies.

• Analyze fermentation data and implement technical improvements across scales.

Tech Transfer & CMO Support

• Prepare detailed USP documentation (process descriptions, protocols, batch records).

• Provide technical input during tech transfer to CMOs, ensuring smooth scale-up to commercial production.

• Participate in on-site troubleshooting and support manufacturing campaigns as needed.

• Review and validate CMO process data and documentation.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with downstream, analytical, and quality teams to ensure full process integration.

• Support regulatory and quality documentation related to USP processes.

• Contribute to risk assessments and process control strategies.

Technical Leadership

• Act as the internal USP subject matter expert, ensuring knowledge transfer within the team.

• Provide guidance to junior engineers and technicians in USP operations.

• Promote best practices, technical rigor, and continuous improvement across USP activities.

• 5–8 years of experience in USP development and scale-up within the biotech, food, or biopharma industry.

• Proven expertise in fermentation process development (microbial systems, fed-batch/continuous, scale-up strategies).

• Demonstrated experience in scaling USP processes from lab to commercial manufacturing scale.

• Familiarity with tech transfer and external manufacturing collaboration (CMOs/CDMOs).

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, hands-on mindset.

• Fluent in English; French is a plus.

• Willingness to travel occasionally to support industrial partners.

What we offer

• An innovative environment, where scientific excellence and curiosity drive cutting-edge developments in food science.

• An entrepreneurial culture, where each team member has the opportunity to make a real difference and directly contribute to the company’s growth.

• A global mindset, with a diverse team of experts from around the world, combining unique perspectives to tackle complex challenges.

• A shared commitment, where we all share in Verley’s success and growth through our employee stock option plan (BSPCE).