Microbial Strain Engineer

What You’ll Be Doing

• Develop plasmid and chromosomal systems for multi-gene recombinant enzyme expression.
• Identify and engineer genetic targets affecting transcription, translation, protein maturation, and metabolic burden.
• Apply techniques including knock-out, knock-in, gene editing, pathway engineering, cloning, DNA assembly, and genomic integration.
• Optimise promoters, ribosome binding sites, terminators, copy number, selection markers, plasmid stability, and expression control.
• Design experiments and characterise constructs using PCR, restriction digestion, sequencing, and bioinformatics.
• Maintain genetic toolkits, plasmid libraries, and microbial strain libraries.
• Use fermentation, test-expression, metabolomics, carbon-flux, and expression-marker data to guide genetic design.
• Analyse experimental data, draw clear conclusions, and make practical recommendations.
• Work with fermentation, chemistry, and analytical colleagues to optimise strain performance across screening and process conditions.
• Prepare and maintain SOPs, reports, risk assessments, biosafety records, and other technical documentation.
• Support molecular biology and cell culture laboratory operations, including inventories, consumables, equipment checks, and safety documentation.
• Communicate findings and recommendations clearly to internal teams and external partners.

Essential Experience

To be considered for this position, you will need:

• Proven, hands-on industrial experience in non-GMP microbial genetics for enzyme production.
• Practical industrial experience with multi-gene bacterial expression and enzyme-yield optimisation.
• A degree in biology, microbiology, genetics, synthetic biology, or a related discipline.
• Practical experience with cloning, DNA assembly, and mutagenesis.
• Experience with relevant genome-engineering approaches such as homologous recombination, CRISPR/Cas, and/or FLP/FRT.
• Experience optimising gene expression and designing genetic constructs.
• Bioinformatics skills relevant to construct design and experimental work.
• Experience maintaining high-quality laboratory records and safety documentation.
• The ability to independently plan, deliver, and analyse well-designed experiments.
• Clear communication skills and an understanding of confidentiality and intellectual property within an industrial environment.

Desirable Experience

It would be advantageous, but is not essential, to have:

• A relevant postgraduate degree.
• Broader industrial biotechnology experience in microbial enzyme production.
• Experience of fermentation scale-up or tuneable multi-gene expression.
• Experience with Design of Experiments, statistical analysis, or multivariate optimisation.
• Working knowledge of R, Python, or Minitab.

Apply

If you have the essential hands-on industrial microbial genetics experience and are interested in applying your expertise to sustainable chemical manufacturing and next-generation biocatalyst technology, HydRegen would like to hear from you.

Equal Opportunities

HydRegen welcomes applications from all suitably qualified people and will make reasonable adjustments for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. Candidates who meet the essential industrial experience requirement are encouraged to apply even if they do not meet every desirable criterion.