As a fast-growing, mission-driven startup committed to revolutionise the food industry, we're assembling a dynamic A-Team! As a Metabolic Strain Engineer at Planet A Foods, you will combine computational biology and wet lab work to develop and test product-oriented strain targets.

• Reporting to: Kevin Schmitz
• Type: Full-Time, Permanent
• Location: Planegg (Onsite)
• Department: R&D

We couldn’t ignore the problem. The chocolate industry has long contributed to environmental harm and human exploitation. We are unwilling to stand by this, as we believe in protecting our planet and the people that create the foods we love… So we created the world’s first 100% cocoa-free chocolate alternative, ChoViva, which delivers a rich, roasted flavour with a solid snap, smooth melt, and subtle sweetness - all while being climate-friendly!

At Planet A Foods, we are on a mission to create dramatically more sustainable food ingredients, and thus save millions of tons of CO2 emissions each year. And cocoa is just the beginning…
Our next product disruption is already in the pipeline: ChoViva Butter, a yeast-derived and substantially more sustainable replacement for cocoa butter, produced via precision fermentation.

THE TEAM

You are joining a team of driven individuals who develop the entire process around ChoViva Butter from start to end: covering the domains of strain development, USP, DSP, refinement and analytics. The team is highly collaborative and committed to continuous improvement. Its biggest strengths lie in the combination of different, deep individual domain expertises and the ability to communicate ideas and findings across all domains. This enables us to dynamically adopt novel findings (and adapt to them), while pursuing pragmatic solutions throughout the development. Opportunities to continuously grow beyond the personal domain expertise and into new responsibilities are plentiful.

As a Metabolic Strain Engineer, you will utilise different computational biology approaches to identify novel, product-oriented targets for strain development. You will also build and test these targets in vivo and hands-on in the wet lab, together with the strain development team. We are hence looking for an ambitious and motivated team player with a strong passion for computational biology and the wet lab alike. You will be challenged to drive the extension and continuous improvement of applied computational tools at Planet A Foods. You will have the support of the team and leadership to grow our computational tool stack alongside your skills over time, with commitment to additional resources through our network and educational training. Together with our product-oriented A-team, you will collaboratively solve the biologic and technical challenges to make this product a reality.

• Extend and continuously develop our computational biology capabilities further around GEMs & flux modeling, NGS datasets and structural biology - to match strain engineering needs;
• Generate model-assisted strategies and target lists for improved yield and productivity KPIs to enhance our commercial production strain further;
• Design, build and implement strain edits to test model-derived strategies in a wet lab environment (feeding the DBTL cycle);
• Collect and analyse experimental data from wet lab and computational modeling; interpret, prepare and present results to drive team discussions;
• Collaborate with the core team and external partners;
• Help accelerate iterative DBTL cycles across teams and push towards achieving the goals regarding product composition, yield and productivity metrics.

• Master's degree in Bioinformatics / Computational Biology - or in a Biology / Molecular Biology / Biotechnology / Biochemistry program with a clear personal track record of experience in computational biology - or a Bachelor’s degree with additional relevant industry experience;

• Experience with GEMs/stoichiometric flux models and NGS data analysis is highly desired;

• Experience with molecular biology techniques is a must, such as PCR, DNA cloning (ideally: Gibson, Golden Gate), as well as proficiency in microbial culture techniques (sterile working, cultivation) and basic laboratory practices;

• Excellent skillset in metabolic engineering, genetics and synthetic biology, with a passion for both computational biology applications plus wet lab strain construction work in full DBTL cycles;

• Strong analytical thinking, contextualisation and abstraction skills to navigate complex cellular networks, combined with the abilities to prioritise efficiently and communicate effectively;

• Ability to work independently and self-sufficiently as well as to contribute to a collaborative team. Plus the mindset to derive joy from a mix of both working styles.

VALUES

At Planet A Foods we are deeply committed to our values. We believe in the power of:

• Fellowship: where a shared vision can only be realized through teamwork, and we strive to enable each other’s success.
• On Discovery: we thrive on encouraging curiosity and innovation to create extraordinary solutions for a better world.
• Creating Impact: through science and passion, we make meaningful progress on our journey.
• Just Do It: we have a take-action philosophy, favoring decisive steps over endless discussions.

Moreover, joining our flat-hierarchy team means you will benefit from a competitive salary, flexible working hours, and a supportive work environment where communication is direct and collaboration is key.

BENEFITS

• Delicious, healthy lunches, and constant access to snacks and drinks to keep you energized throughout the day.
• A personalised MacBook Pro to support your work.
• Sensory Experiences: as we are making chocolate, we regularly have chocolate tastings to evaluate the taste, colour, and aroma of existing and future recipes, so you can actively contribute to our innovations!
• 30 days of holiday each year to recharge and pursue personal interests.
• Urban Sports Club Discount: USC is a Sports & Fitness platform that offers access to an enormous range of sports clubs / classes / training / wellness facilities all in one membership! We encourage you to stay active and healthy :)
• Employees with cars are welcome to use designated parking spaces.
• Events to build and strengthen our team.
• Chocolate. Every. Single. Day. Do we even need to explain this?

As an equal-opportunity employer, we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, starting from evaluating all applications fairly. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and abilities to apply.
Join us on our journey to make an impact on the planet through sustainable food. Apply now and help shape the future of food!