Head of R&D Bioprocess

At Verley, we are building a new generation of sustainable dairy proteins through precision fermentation. We are looking for entrepreneurs at heart: people who are motivated by our mission, eager to make an impact, and willing to take ownership to help turn an ambitious vision into reality. Success at Verley requires a strong commitment to our mission, a collaborative mindset, and a genuine desire to contribute to the company's collective success.

The Head of Bioprocess leads Verley’s R&D Bioprocess team and the Lyon pilot laboratory, playing a central role in transforming scientific ambition into robust, transferable and scalable processes.

Reporting directly to the CSO and acting as the right hand for Bioprocess activities, the role translates R&D priorities into clear plans, strong execution and high-quality scientific outcomes.

This is a highly visible, hands‑on leadership position combining team management, scientific excellence and operational ownership. The Head of Bioprocess is accountable for the performance of the team, the effectiveness of the laboratory and the quality and pace of Bioprocess development.

The role is suited to an experienced Bioprocess leader who enjoys being close to science, the laboratory and the team, while contributing directly to key technical decisions and Verley’s transition toward industrial scale.

Key Responsibilities

Drive Bioprocess Development and Execution

• Lead the development, optimization and scale‑up of fermentation and downstream processes.
• Ensure effective planning, execution and interpretation of Bioprocess activities.
• Oversee safety, equipment, capacity and operational readiness required for these activities.
• Guide the team in resolving technical challenges and translating data into clear decisions.
• Maintain high standards of scientific quality, reliability and execution.

Manage the Bioprocess Team

• Lead, manage and develop a team of seven composed of research assistants, scientists and engineers through clear objectives, regular follow‑up, constructive feedback and appropriate support.
• Translate priorities agreed with the CSO into clear objectives, responsibilities and deliverables.
• Organize the team’s workload and allocate resources effectively across projects.
• Build a culture of scientific rigor, ownership, collaboration and delivery.

Act as the CSO’s right hand

• Translate R&D priorities into clear technical plans, milestones and resource requirements.
• Provide the CSO with timely and clear visibility of technical progress, risks, trade‑offs and critical decisions.
• Bring in‑depth technical judgment and operational insight into key Bioprocess discussions.
• Anticipate issues, propose solutions and ensure that decisions are efficiently implemented by the team.

Prepare processes for scale-up and transfer

• Ensure processes are characterized, reproducible, robust, and sufficiently mature to support industrial scale‑up.
• Work closely with Operations Process Engineers to define transfer requirements and address technical gaps.
• Incorporate manufacturability, process economics, and commercial‑scale constraints into development priorities and technical decisions.
• Partner with Operations to establish process readiness criteria, identify technical gaps, and execute development activities required for successful transfer.
• Own the completeness, scientific accuracy, and timely delivery of process development reports, process descriptions, critical parameters, and supporting data packages.
• Coordinate effectively with Analytical Sciences, Quality, Regulatory and Operations to ensure processes meet development and industrialization requirements.
• Clear and aligned Bioprocess priorities
• Efficient development plans and milestones
• Strong and reliable execution of experimental programs
• Effective team and laboratory resource allocation
• High‑quality experimental data and technical recommendations
• Regular reporting to the CSO on technical progress, risks and decisions
• Robust, documented and transfer‑ready processes

Qualifications & Experience

• PhD, Engineering degree or equivalent experience in Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering, Fermentation Science or a related field.
• Strong expertise in microbial fermentation, bioprocess development and scale‑up.
• Proven experience leading a bioprocess team and managing laboratory or pilot‑scale operations.
• Strong hands‑on experience designing, executing and interpreting laboratory and pilot‑scale bioprocess experiments.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize a project portfolio, allocate resources and turn technical data into