Cargill is committed to providing food and agricultural solutions to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. Sitting at the heart of the supply chain, we partner with farmers and customers to source, make and deliver products that are vital for living.
Our 155,000 team members innovate with purpose, providing customers with life's essentials so businesses can grow, communities prosper, and consumers live well. With over 160 years of experience as a family company, we look ahead while remaining true to our values. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing-today and for generations to come.
Job Purpose and Impact
The Director, Metabolic Engineeringleads a high-performing team applying metabolic engineering, molecular biology, microbiology, bioinformatics and biotechnology to advance research programs aligned with portfolio and business priorities. The role translates strategy into focused research plans, establishes technical direction, aligns people and resources, and delivers reproducible scientific outcomes that progress from discovery through development, scale-up and commercialization. The director builds an inclusive and accountable team culture, ensures safe and compliant laboratory operations, and partners across scientific, business and manufacturing functions to accelerate innovation, manage technical risk and communicate clear recommendations to stakeholders.
Key Accountabilities
- Build and lead a high-performing, inclusive and accountable team by setting clear expectations, aligning goals, coaching employees, managing performance, recognizing achievement, developing talent and creating conditions for people to thrive.
- Allocate people, laboratory capacity, external services, operating budgets and capital across priorities. Identify capacity gaps before they affect delivery and develop platforms, automation-enabled workflows, technologies and partnerships that improve research efficiency, reliability, transferability and business impact.
- Provide technical direction across metabolic engineering, molecular biology, microbiology, bioinformatics and related biological sciences. Ensure experimental strategies generate reproducible, scalable and decision-relevant outcomes with appropriate controls, statistical rigor, traceability and data integrity.
- Translate business, customer and portfolio needs into research priorities, technology roadmaps, and milestone plans. Incorporate market opportunity, technical feasibility, manufacturing constraints, regulatory needs and commercialization timelines into prioritization and trade-off decisions.
- Partner with business leaders, customers and cross-functional teams, including product development, analytical science, fermentation, process development, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, intellectual property, commercial and data science. Integrate research activities, enable effective technology transfer and communicate clear recommendations to stakeholders.
- Lead biological research programs from discovery through development, pilot readiness and commercialization transfer. Establish clear deliverables, success criteria, stage-gate expectations and transfer requirements that enable downstream teams to meet business and commercialization objectives.
- Ensure safe, compliant and efficient laboratory operations, including equipment readiness, biosafety, quality systems, standard operating procedures and training. Identify and manage technical, biological, analytical, regulatory, scale-up and operational risks; prioritize experiments that reduce uncertainty; investigate variability and failure modes; and drive corrective and preventive actions.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience
- Minimum of six years of related work experience
- Experience in enzyme biochemistry or fermentation organism development
- Previous experinece leading technical programs
Preferred Qualifications- Previous supervisory experience
- Ten or more years of experience in biotechnology, industrial microbiology or biomanufacturing
- Advanced degree in metabolic engineering, molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology or a related field
- Experience applying machine learning, artificial intelligence or data science to biological research
Compensation Data
The expected salary for this position is $140,000-$180,000. Compensation varies depending on a wide array of factors including but not limited to the specific location, certifications, education, and level of experience. The disclosed range estimate may be adjusted for any applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. This position is eligible for a discretionary incentive award. The incentive award amount is dependent upon company performance and your personal performance.
At Cargill we put people first. As part of your overall rewards, we offer a comprehensive benefit program including medical and/or other benefits dependent on the position offered and hours worked. Visit: https://www.cargill.com/page/my-health/mh-health-and-wellness to learn more (subject to certain collective bargaining agreements for Union positions).Minnesota Sick and Safe Leave accruals of one hour for every 30 worked, up to 48 hours per calendar year unless otherwise provided by law.
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Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Vet.
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