Fermentation Scientist

Job Title: Fermentation Scientist

Job Description

This role offers a unique opportunity for a fermentation scientist to own and improve an egg-based biological fermentation process from end to end. You will focus on understanding and optimizing a naturally derived active ingredient used in consumer deer and rabbit repellent products, making the process faster, more consistent, and scalable. Sitting at the intersection of R&D and manufacturing, you will translate what happens in the lab into robust, reliable production processes and serve as the subject matter expert for fermentation within the organization.

Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and run fermentation experiments using egg-based materials to improve a naturally derived active ingredient.
• Investigate why the fermentation process behaves differently under various conditions, including why cycle times range from 7-10 days to up to 28 days.
• Systematically test and optimize process variables such as temperature, pH, microbial populations, and raw material differences.
• Adjust fermentation conditions to improve yield, consistency, speed, and overall process robustness.
• Translate successful lab-scale fermentation methods to pilot and full production scale while maintaining product quality and performance.
• Troubleshoot issues that arise when scaling up processes, including unexpected behavior or performance differences at larger scale.
• Collaborate closely with manufacturing teams to streamline operations and improve process efficiency and reliability.
• Study and interpret the microbiology underlying the decomposition and fermentation process to better understand process mechanisms.
• Help define and refine product quality standards, including stability criteria and acceptance parameters for the active ingredient.
• Document experimental designs, results, and conclusions in a clear and structured manner to support ongoing process development.
• Develop, write, and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) for fermentation, scale-up, and related quality practices.
• Apply sound experimental design principles to plan and execute tests, even without formal design of experiments (DoE) software or frameworks.
• Move regularly between lab and manufacturing environments, maintaining strong communication across both settings.
• Serve as the primary subject matter expert for fermentation processes, providing guidance and insight to cross-functional partners.
• Work independently in an environment with limited internal fermentation expertise, making data-driven decisions in the face of ambiguity.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor's degree or higher in biology, biochemistry, chemical engineering, or a closely related core scientific discipline.
• Hands-on fermentation experience in food science, brewing, or related fermentation applications, preferably involving egg-based systems.
• Practical experience running fermentation processes and optimizing variables such as temperature, pH, microbes, and raw material inputs.
• Experience with process scale-up from lab to pilot and production environments, including troubleshooting at larger scale.
• Strong understanding of microbiology as it relates to decomposition and fermentation processes.
• Ability to design and execute experiments using sound scientific methodology, even without extensive formal DoE training.
• Proven ability to work across both lab and manufacturing settings and to move comfortably between bench work and production environments.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to work effectively in ambiguous situations without a predefined playbook.
• Capability to act as a hands-on, practical scientist or engineer, focusing on real-world process performance rather than purely theoretical work.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills for documenting findings and building SOPs.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Comfort working with complex, variable, and "messy" real-world processes rather than only controlled academic systems.
• Experience defining product quality standards and stability criteria for biologically derived products.
• Prior experience collaborating closely with manufacturing or operations teams to improve process efficiency.
• Experience serving as a subject matter expert in a specialized technical domain.
• Advanced degree (such as a master's or PhD) in a relevant scientific or engineering field, provided the candidate maintains a hands-on, practical approach.

Work Environment

The role operates in both laboratory and scale-up manufacturing environments, providing a blend of bench-level experimentation and hands-on work with pilot and production equipment. You will spend time in a lab setting conducting fermentation experiments and microbiological evaluations, and in a manufacturing setting where processes are tested, scaled, and refined.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Earth City, MO.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $67.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Earth City,MO.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 10, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.