Join us in building the future of precision fermentation
At NIZO food research, we are on an exciting journey: designing and launching a state‑of‑the‑art fermentation upscaling pilot facility that will support a wide range of customers in bringing their innovative products to life and commercial readiness. As we expand our capabilities in aerobic and precision fermentation, we are looking for a Bioprocessing Project Manager & Expert who wants to help shape this Biotechnology Fermentation Factory (BFF) facility, our processes, and our strategic direction.
This is more than a project management role. You will become a key scientific leader helping shape our fermentation capabilities, guide customer projects, and contribute to the development of a new pilot-scale infrastructure that will support the next generation of biotechnology products.
If you thrive where science, engineering, and entrepreneurship meet, this is your moment.
Who you are
You are an experienced bioprocess expert with a passion for translating science into scalable, real‑world processes. You understand that successful projects require leadership, communication, and execution. You bring hands‑on experience with aerobic and precision fermentation, including upstream and downstream processing. You understand the technical depth behind fermentation processes and enjoy working in an environment where you can think on your feet, troubleshoot in real time, and guide complex projects from concept to completion.
You feel at home in a bioprocessing and pilot‑plant environment, understand the significance of screening and optimizing on lab scale, and you know how to navigate the dynamics of industrial, CRO, or CDMO settings. You combine scientific rigor with strong project management, clear decision‑making, and a collaborative spirit.
What you’ll be doing
As a key member of our NIZO team, you will:
- Lead fermentation and bioprocessing projects (both USP and DSP) end‑to‑end— from scoping and experimental design to planning, execution, analysis, and customer communication for a diverse portfolio of customers and product types.
- Guide customers through technical choices, scale‑up considerations, and practical decisions.
- Play a central role in testing, and validating our new pilot facility, ensuring it meets the needs of future CDMO/CRO projects.
- Help shape our internal knowledge base and strategic offerings in precision fermentation.
- Coordinate the team by collaborating closely with scientists, lab technicians, project managers, operators, QA, and Sales/BD to deliver high‑quality results.
Your environment
You’ll join a multidisciplinary team that values curiosity, ownership, and teamwork. Our environment is:
- Where science, engineering, and business come together
- Fast‑moving and hands‑on
- Technically ambitious
- Supportive and collaborative
- A place where ideas are welcomed and initiative is celebrated
You’ll work independently while being part of a team that enjoys solving challenges together. This requires on site presence during scale up fermentation runs.
What you bring
You’ll thrive here if you bring or come close to:
- An advanced degree (MSc, PhD, or equivalent experience) in Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, Microbiology, Biochemical Engineering, or a related field
- At least 5 to 10 years of demonstrated experience with (precision) fermentation in food, biotech, pharma, or similar with any combination of the following:
- Practical experience with bioprocess implementation from lab to pilot or production scale
- Industrial, CRO, or CDMO experience
- Expertise and practical experience with a range of unit operations
- Strong project management and structured decision‑making
- A problem‑solving mindset and ability to adapt in dynamic situations
- Affinity for technical systems, bioprocess equipment, and data‑driven optimization
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively across disciplines
- Network in the food industry and willingness to travel as needed
- Business savvy and customer focus
- Fluent English; Dutch is an advantage
Why join us
- Be part of building a pilot facility in a thriving ecosystem for the developing food industry
- Influence our strategy, capabilities, and customer offerings
- Work on diverse, cutting‑edge fermentation projects
- Grow into a key technical leader in a rapidly developing field
- Join a team that combines scientific excellence with a sense of fun and adventure
- Enjoy a fair salary aligned with your experience and strong employment conditions, including a pension scheme, 25 vacation days and 13 ADV days based on fulltime employment.
If you want to help shape the future of fermentation—and enjoy doing it—this is the place.
Practical Details
Location: Ede/Wageningen region, The Netherlands
Start: As soon as possible
Contract: 32-40 hours
About NIZO and BFF
At NIZO, we work every day to improve food and health through robust and scalable production solutions to feed a growing world. Since 1948, we have partnered with international food and health companies to develop innovative solutions in the fields of microbiology, proteins, and advanced food processing technologies. As one of the world’s most advanced contract research organizations, we help companies optimize processes and bring new products to market faster, more sustainably, and more efficiently. From our high-tech R&D center and Food Innovation Park in Ede, we combine science, technology, and hands-on fermentation and processing expertise in our food-grade upscaling facilities. To support the growing precisions fermentation market, NIZO is currently building the BFF (Biotechnology Fermentation Factory), a pilot fermentation facility scaling up to 10,000L, which is planned to be fully operational in Q2 2027.
