▷ [29/10/2025] Manufacturing Associate (NPI)

Location

Sydney

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

On-site

Department

Manufacturing

About us

Vow is a cultured meat company on a mission to feed billions and create food that’s good for your tastebuds, your health and your planet.

We’re bringing together cutting edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary and design to create new meats that meat lovers can choose selfishly because it’s nutritious and delicious, and we’re doing so in a sustainable way.

The role:

We’re looking for a Manufacturing Associate to join our New Product Introduction (NPI) team working in our Alexandria facility. In this role, you’ll take breakthrough ideas from R&D and make them work at scale on the factory floor.

You’ll run end-to-end process runs at pilot and production scales, proving when new processes work, and figuring out how to fix them when they don’t.

The work ranges from scaling new cell lines, to trialling equipment, to refining processes for efficiency. It also means the discipline of production-style operations, monitoring, drawing and filling, and keeping runs on track. This is physical, hands-on work that can involve long days or weekend shifts, using large-scale equipment like stainless steel bioreactors, mixing systems, and fluid transfer setups.

This role is for someone who loves being hands-on, thrives in high‑energy environments, and wants to make a visible impact: without your work, new products can’t make it to market.

The experience/skills you will bring:

- Experience running and improving production processes, ideally involving stainless steel bioreactors, mixing systems, fluid transfer, or separation technologies, but we are open to other industries.

- A hands‑on, practical approach, you enjoy being on the floor, running end‑to‑end processes, and solving problems in real time

- Comfort with physical, on-your‑feet work work and variable hours, including weekend shifts, and on‐call rotations

- Strong collaboration skills, with evidence of working closely across diverse teams (scientists, engineers, operators, technicians etc)

- A bias to action and low ego, willing to jump in and do whatever’s needed, from troubleshooting to cleaning down

- Resilient and able to adapt to changing goals and remain steady in the face of repeated setbacks.

- Curiosity and willingness to ask questions. You are eager to understand why processes behave the way they do and how to make them better

Nice to haves:

- Experience with brewing, fermentation, or bioreactor operation up to 20,000 L, ideally in stainless steel bioreactors with an emphasis on mammalian cell culture

- Experience with commissioning, validation, or CQV (commissioning, qualification, validation) activities, particularly in scaling or handing over new processes and equipment.

You will:

Run and improve processes

- Operate end‑to‑end runs at pilot and production scales, from setup through to harvest

- Monitor and troubleshoot issues in real time (e.g. cell growth, pH regulation, oxygen transfer)

- Work hands‑on with large‑scale equipment like stainless steel bioreactors, mixing systems, and fluid transfer setups

- Trial and improve new equipment and processes, providing feedback on performance and reliability

- Keep processes efficient, consistent, and safe through cleaning, maintenance, and optimisation

Contribute to innovation

- Be part of developing the next generation of biological manufacturing processes, from testing new technologies to finding smarter ways to scale

- Provide feedback and ideas that help shape how new products are made at Vow

Collaborate across teams

- Work closely with scientists, engineers, and operators to transition new processes from R&D into manufacturing

- Share insights and learnings from runs to help refine processes and equipment design

- Be a flexible, low‑ego contributor, willing to pitch in wherever the team needs support

Maintain quality and discipline

- Follow SOPs, safety protocols, and quality systems to ensure runs meet regulatory and food safety standards

- Keep accurate records of process runs, deviations, and outcomes

- Participate in shift, weekend, and on‑call rotations as part of the NPI team, and bring the focus needed to keep long, physical runs on track

What success looks like:

In your first month, you will:

- Learn Vow’s core NPI processes and equipment, and complete training across key operations

- Support your first end‑to‑end process runs, gaining exposure to both experimental trials and production‑style operations

- Build strong working relationships across the NPI, R&D, and Manufacturing teams

Within three months, you will:

- Confidently run end‑to‑end processes with minimal supervision, from setup through to harvest

- Troubleshoot common biological and process issues in real time, keeping runs on track

- Contribute feedback on new processes and equipment trials, helping shape improvements

Within your first year, you will:

- Take ownership of specific NPI processes, becoming the go‑to person for running and improving them at scale

- Play a key role in moving new cell lines, processes, or equipment from R&D into production readiness

- Demonstrate measurable impact through improved efficiency, consistency, or reliability of runs

- Be recognised as a flexible, collaborative teammate who helps make the impossible possible, ensuring Vow’s new products can scale from idea to reality

Who we are and why join:

- We are building a diverse, mission‑led dream team of “Vowzers.” Our mission is to make food products for everyone. To do that well we need a workforce that’s representative of the people we serve. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view - so we’re building a culture to match. Be yourself and come as you are.

- Work on cutting‑edge technology. We’re bringing together cutting‑edge innovations in science, engineering, and food, to recreate the world’s most tantalising and unique culinary experiences. All without compromising on ethics or our planet along the way. Since our inception in 2019, we have held the title of being the first startup to cultivate meat from the cells of an undomesticated animal, been called The Spaceship of the cultured meat industry by Forbes and launched our first product under the brand Forged in some of the hottest restaurants in Singapore.

- Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s top scientists, innovators, operators, and creatives with decades of industry experience. Despite our experiences though, we all strive to build, break, learn, and repeat. We see the impossible as temporary and strive to learn and support our company and fellow Vowzers’ growth as much as possible.

- We’re fully funded and ready to go. We are a growing Aussie biotech start‑up backed by Blackbird Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Grok Ventures, Tenacious Ventures, P7 Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and PeakBridge VC.

Vow perks and benefits:

- Everyone is an owner. In addition to competitive base salaries, each and every ‘Vowzer’ owns equity in the company so we can all benefit from our hard work and future success.

- Generous paid parental leave. We offer 8 weeks of paid caregiver leave and an additional 8 weeks paid leave for the birth giver.

- Generous relocation budget & support. Support for interstate or overseas team members and their families.

- Unlimited personal leave. At Vow we recognise that sometimes sh*t happens. We don’t want you to stress about work when you need to deal with an emergency or are struggling with something truly difficult. We offer unlimited personal leave to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day.

- Heaps of tasty samples from our culinary centre. Our fantastic “food inventors” on the Vow team are always cooking up new product prototypes, and all Vowzers are given the opportunity to taste, give feedback, and learn from their culinary prowess.

- An awesome converted warehouse “campus” in Alexandria. Complete with a glass‑walled lab, 2 factories, shower and towel service, bike rack, free snacks, a culinary centre and plenty of collaboration and chill zones.

- Human and dog friendly office An inclusive community and culture, in a welcoming office, complete with friendly “Vowzer” dogs

- A variety of social clubs. We encourage all our Vowzers to build the culture with us and share what you love by creating social clubs across the business. From book clubs to hiking groups, we’re always looking for ways to learn and engage with our team.

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