Company Description

As a global key player in yeasts and fermentation, Lesaffre designs, manufactures and markets innovative solutions for Baking, Food taste & pleasure, Health care and Biotechnology.

Family group born in northern France in 1853, now a multi-national and a multicultural company, Lesaffre is committed to working with confidence to better nourish and protect the planet.

In close collaboration with its clients and partners, Lesaffre employs 11 000 people in more than 50 countries.

Lesaffre achieves a turnover of 3 billion euros.

Job Description

Contexte: Operate the first integrated industrial biofoundry in France, being part of an international Bioengineering team shared in three sites in Lille, Boston and San Francisco, and deliver to the Bioengineering’s Mission of leading microbial engineering for a sustainable future.

Our Approach: We Manage an international team of motivated, risk-taking scientists and engineers to merge biology, engineering, automation and computation to improve organism engineering, screening and selection for a wide portfolio of fermentation applications.

Our Scope: We engineer, screen, select yeast and bacteria for industrial biotechnology applications including baking, brewing, bioethanol, flavors and fragrances, food and feed, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals. 

Keywords: Flow cytometry, FACS sorting, Droplet microfluidic, high throughput screening, biofoundry, biological foundry, LIMS, yeast, bacteria, Saccharomyces, Pichia, Escherichia coli, synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, biofabrication, Python, MatLab, laboratory automation, liquid handlers, robotic workcell.

Your Responsibilities:

• Leading the strategic vision for the High Throughput Screening (HTS) group, managing a multidisciplinary team, to deliver innovative solutions for automated biological discovery workflows at scale
• Developing automated/HTP experimental assays, protocols, workflows for HTP genetic engineering unit operations and processes, strain cultivation, HTP biological screenings in whole cell or cell extract formats, sample preparation
• Organizing and supporting the validation and QC'ing of automated biological screening protocols
• Working with automation engineers, assay development scientists, metabolic engineering scientists and data scientists to ensure the technical quality
• Ensuring data integrity across experimental pipelines and integrating machine learning models into workflows by collaborating with the Biodata Center of Excellence
• Identifying and leading improvements in group practices and protocols
• Representing HTS initiatives internally and externally by preparing technical reports, delivering presentations, and participating in organizational planning discussions
• Recruiting, mentoring, and managing a high-performing team while fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability
• Aligning the HTS team's goals and priorities with the overall Bioengineering Center of Excellence strategy
• Budgeting and resource planning for the HTS group to ensure operational efficiency and support growth
• Establishing and maintaining strong partnerships with other functional teams to enable cross-functional collaboration
• Representing the HTS group in external forums, conferences, and industry networks to stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies

Your profile:

• PhD in biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, chemistry, chemical engineering or equivalent, or MSc/BSc with equivalent experience.
• At least 2-year post-PhD or post-postdoc research experience
• Industrial experience in biotechnology, assay development, or high-throughput screening.
• Demonstrated ability to develop novel screening assays and optimize conditions to reduce variability.
• Experience with automation software platforms is a must; Experience with Beckman or Molecular Devices automation software and LIMS environment is highly desirable
• Strong data and statistics background applied to HTP screenings; familiarity with LIMS environments and concepts as well as statistical software packages (MiniTab, SPSS, etc.); ability to script simple data analysis in one the following, Jupyter Notebooks, Matlab/Octave, Python or R is required.
• Experience in project and/or resource management is a plus; additional familiarity with software tools such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheets, or other Lean Management tools is a plus.
• Enzymology experience and familiarity with diverse organisms is desirable.
• Ability to work in an international team, including good command of spoken and written English, cultural sensitivity, flexibility.

Additional Information

What can Lesaffre International offer you:

• We are a successful family-owned company with long-standing history where people truly matter.
• We promote a sense of fulfilment with a genuine mission: nourish and protect the planet.
• A good working atmosphere, in a brand-new Campus (With a Gym, a Restaurant, …) fostering synergies and teamwork.

At Lesaffre, diversity is a strength that enriches our culture and our teams. We are committed to offering you a work environment where you can thrive, regardless of your background, gender, age or abilities. We encourage all applications, as we believe that diverse perspectives strengthen our ability to innovate and meet the challenges of tomorrow.