Plant Protein Biochemist

About us:

The Bland Company is an early-stage biotech start-up that’s developing novel ingredients which enable sustainable eating, globally. Our first ingredients are upcycled proteins that enhance the quality of products ranging from meat alternatives to nutritional beverages.

We’re backed by the world’s leading deeptech accelerator, Entrepreneur First, and our founders are biochemists and biochemical engineers with 5+ years of experience building leading biotech and foodtech startups.

The Role:

We are seeking a talented Plant Protein Biochemist to join our team as our first scientific hire. In this role, you will work closely with the founding team and our advisors to define and execute our experimental strategy. As the company's founding employee, you will significantly contribute to developing our first product and establishing our R&D team and infrastructure. Through this role, you have the potential to dramatically accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable agriculture.

This hands-on lab-based role requires a creative problem solver with extensive protein science expertise.

Requirements:

• PhD in Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Synthetic Biology, or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience.
• Extensive experience in protein chemistry, preferably plant proteins, and strategies to influence protein structure such as ionic modulation, solvent extraction, enzymatic treatment, and fermentation.
• Experience developing and analysing data from bioanalytical methods, including HPLC, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS.
• Proficient in protein purification techniques (filtration, flocculation) and subsequent protein characterisation (SDS-PAGE, ELISA, mass spectrometry, etc.).
• Ability to work independently and develop your own methods, staying up to date with the latest developments to drive innovation and improve existing processes and protocols.
• Effective teamwork and strong communication skills—essential for collaborating within a small team.
• Present and document results clearly and concisely for the team and partners, with excellent attention to detail and precision in record-keeping and documentation.
• Provide guidance to colleagues, fostering a collaborative, supportive, and high-performance culture.
• Maintain a productive and safe working environment by developing and updating procedures, SOPs, working practices, and risk assessments.

Nice to have:

• Flavour chemistry experience would be extremely beneficial
• Experience in purifying, isolating, and characterising food proteins, particularly plant proteins
• Microbiology/ solid-state fermentation experience
• Enzyme characterisation & biocatalysis optimization experience
• Hands-on experience using or analysing waste feedstocks/ agri byproducts
• Familiarity using and/or analysing waste feedstocks would be highly desirable.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, along with the opportunity to be a founding team-member of a high-impact start-up that’s accelerating adoption of sustainable food.