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Make your application after reading the following skill and qualification requirements for this position.
Location: Hybrid | Relocation planned
Timing: Target hire aligned with next financing milestone
About Our Client
Our client is a highly ambitious, founder-led techbio company operating at the intersection of synthetic biology and AI. The company is addressing a critical bottleneck in modern biotech: the persistent disconnect between protein design and expression.
With a proprietary platform, strong early traction, and multidisciplinary in-house capabilities across data science, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, the team is now preparing to scale. They operate under stealth and hold all IP internally. This is not a spinout or academic offshoot, but a purpose-built company with platform potential.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) to lead scientific strategy and execution, while bridging that work to commercial and strategic goals. The right person will bring strong leadership experience, technical depth, and the ability to communicate a scientific vision internally and externally.
This is a pivotal executive hire who will help define the next chapter of the company’s growth. The individual will join a team that has already achieved proof-of-concept and now seeks to build market readiness, strategic partnerships, and long-term differentiation.
3 Key Selection Criteria
1. Established Scientific Leadership in Industry
Material experience in biotech or biopharma
Significant experience in a scientific leadership role (e.g. CSO, Director, Head level)
Deep understanding of protein expression systems, biomanufacturing, or therapeutic R&D
2. Startup-Stage Operating Experience
Experience in early-stage or scaling biotech/techbio
Familiar with navigating from PoC to MVP to commercial readiness
Comfortable managing across both computational and wetlab R&D functions
3. Visionary Thinking with Commercial Acumen
Proven ability to translate technical capability into platform strategy or business models
Strong external presence; experience engaging with investors, partners, or regulators
Track record of guiding partnerships or external-facing R&D initiatives
3 Core Requirements
1. Hybrid Scientific & Commercial Mindset
Ability to define scientific roadmap aligned with commercial drivers
Strategic thinking that connects technical feasibility with market opportunity
2. Builder of Teams and Culture
Experience building and leading multi-functional scientific teams
Strong mentoring instincts; ability to scale high-calibre scientific talent
3. Grit, Agility, and Growth Drive
Comfortable in early-stage, fast-paced environments
Not too senior to get hands-on; thrives in ambiguity and opportunity
Operates with urgency, ambition, and adaptability
Key Responsibilities
Define and lead long-term scientific strategy across platform and product development
Act as a public-facing scientific spokesperson in stealth-phase partner/investor settings
Grow, structure, and mentor the internal scientific team (computational and wetlab)
Align scientific execution with evolving business needs and fundraising milestones
Build relationships with potential collaborators, industry leaders, and future customers
Familiarity with AI-driven applications in protein design, drug discovery, or synthetic biology
Knowledge of regulatory and IP frameworks in biopharma or biomanufacturing
Previous experience in investor communications, VC-backed company leadership, or strategic partnerships
Why This Role, Why Now?
Foundational executive role in a highly differentiated platform company
Rare opportunity to influence category-defining science at an inflection point
Chance to join a company with a meaningful, global-impact mission
Operate with autonomy, clarity of purpose, and strong early technical validation
Process & Timeline
Initial conversation with retained search representative
Follow-up call with founding team (schedule-dependent)
Deeper session (e.g. working session or whiteboard)
Final round discussions, aligned with next funding milestone
There is scope for the successful candidate to begin in an advisory capacity ahead of full-time transition.
All conversations will be held in strict confidence. We encourage early expressions of interest ahead of formal financing close.
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