Solugen

Houston, TX 77035

Position

Chief Operating Officer

About Solugen

At Solugen, we believe planet-scale change starts with the chemistry we use every day. So, we’ve built the world’s first carbon negative molecule factory. Fusing biology with chemistry and technology to make the materials we need to sustain life on Earth.

Solugen, Inc. is a revolutionary product and technology company seeking to use biology to transform the chemicals industry. Solugen was founded in 2016 and is a post-Series D venture-backed biotechnology company supported by renowned venture capital firms including Founders Fund, Fifty Years, Refactor, Y Combinator, Temasek, GIC, Baillie Gifford, and Kinnevik. Located in Houston, Texas, Solugen has recently achieved Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8 for its first-of-its-kind carbon-negative manufacturing facility - The BioforgeTM - that uses a novel chemienzymatic technology to manufacture bio-based chemistries for a wide range of applications including water treatment, agriculture, personal care, and other applications. Solugen currently has 200 full time employees.

Mission

Solugen is looking for a highly dedicated and efficient operations/manufacturing executive, with extreme passion for their work and for the space they operate in. This person will have full-scale responsibility across all of Solugen’s assets and future scale-ups. This person needs to be a major culture force for the current and future workforce of the company. Able to Delegate but also get things done and ‘get their hands dirty.’ A scrappy mindset regardless of resources and current outlook, this person will be obsessed with process optimization and operational excellence, and will be an avid learner. A partner to our CEO, CTO, and the ELT as well as the whole company and its partners, customers, etc.

• In partnership with our CCO, ownership and accountability for Grand Challenge 1 (order-to cash)
• In partnership with the Co-Founders and CCO to grow the revenue streams, wallet share, and improve product quality and external customer partnerships
• Full strategic support for Solugen long term product development
• Continuous improvement of internal operational excellence (Manufacturing, Operations, Safety, and Procurement)

Key Competencies

Candidate Specific

• Prior experience at a small-to-medium sized, fast growing manufacturing company

• P&L ownership experience

• Prior executive coaching and leadership development training. Passionate about personal development

• Not specifically required: fortune 500 or chemical manufacturing experience

• Candidate must be in or willing to relocate to Houston within 6 months of accepting

Company Specific

• Ask a lot of questions, be curious, and have insights into your work

• Be nimble, embrace the speed and ambiguity of startup culture.

• A passion for green chemistry and fighting climate change.

• Ability to self-manage and set your own priorities and schedule.

• Be comfortable working in multiple roles.

• Emphasize safety above all else.

• Respect for others.

• Creative problem solving.

• Willingness to learn and research new engineering/science concepts.

Qualifications

• Engineering background with stellar track record of operational outcomes in a manufacturing environment. 10 years of experience leading highly complex operations organizations, with at least 2 years leading at the VP level or above

• Successful track record as a General Manager or Plant Manager with exceptional results in driving unit cost reduction while maintaining product quality

• Track record of managing highly complex manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, and logistics operations

• 7 years of people management, and experience building dynamic, diverse teams and a passion for developing a continuous improvement and Lean/Factory Physics mindset

• Unrelenting perseverance, clock speed, work ethic, and strategic thinking

• An outcomes and measurement-focused leader

• Strong executive presence with ability to articulate the company’s vision, value, and strategic initiatives to customers, partners, clients, board members and investors

• An action-oriented self-starter and leader who can drive strategy and execution with a “roll up the sleeves”, “hands-on”, “tip of the spear,” “player-coach” approach

Solugen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status.