Senior Manager, Fermentation & Industrial Microbiology

At Houdek, we are pioneering sustainable solutions in agriculture by transforming soybeans into high-value ingredients that support animal health, environmental stewardship, and food system innovation. Based in Volga, South Dakota, we take pride in creating products that are rooted in science, powered by nature, and designed to make a meaningful difference.

We're growing fast and looking for people who want to be part of something bold and impactful. Our team works with purpose and pride, guided by the core values that shape our culture:

• Safety - We are committed to maintaining a safe, responsible, and healthy environment for all.
• Quality - From process to product, we hold ourselves to the highest standards.
• Respect - We foster a workplace where every voice matters and collaboration thrives.
• Transparency - We communicate clearly, honestly, and often with our teams and our partners.
• Innovation - We challenge convention, solve complex problems, and drive new possibilities every day.

If you're ready to join a team working toward a more sustainable future, we invite you to apply today!

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Prairie AquaTech Manufacturing, LLC dba Houdek is a manufacturing company based in Volga South Dakota that is improving animal health and nutrition by providing high-quality feed ingredients. Using patent-pending technologies licensed on a worldwide, exclusive basis from South Dakota State University and developed internally, the Company is upgrading soybean meal to high-quality ingredients used in aquaculture and other animal feeds.

JOB DUTIES

As the senior manufacturing leader for fermentation, this position owns the technical capability, reliability, and continuous improvement of Houdek's commercial fermentation process. The role combines industrial microbiology expertise, manufacturing leadership, process discipline, and people development. A primary expectation is to build the knowledge base of the entire fermentation organization by translating fermentation science into practical standards, training, troubleshooting methods, and decision-making tools.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the technical and operational performance of manufacturing fermentation, including seed train, production fermentation, aseptic/sterile operations, contamination control, and related process controls.
• Build and sustain the manufacturing team's knowledge of industrial microbiology, organism physiology, seed train management, fermentation dynamics, critical process parameters, sanitation/sterilization, sampling, and troubleshooting.
• Continuously improve a structured technical training and qualification system that transfers knowledge to managers, supervisors, leads, and operators and reduces dependency on individual subject matter experts. Sanitary piping rebuilds, steam table understanding, sterile sampling apparatus, steam traps, melt sticks, plating and microscopy interpretation.
• Establish manufacturing standards, process-control strategies, escalation criteria, troubleshooting guides, and operating expectations for the fermentation process.
• Monitor and improve fermentation performance using process data and appropriate KPIs, including culture health, contamination events, consistency, cycle performance, rate, yield, and other measures relevant to reliable commercial production.
• Lead complex technical investigations and root cause analysis for fermentation deviations, contamination, sterilization concerns, abnormal culture behavior, and recurring process losses; ensure corrective actions are effective and sustained.
• Integrate microbiological, analytical, equipment, and operating data to identify process risks and move the organization from reactive troubleshooting toward predictive process management.
• Own continuous improvement of manufacturing fermentation SOPs, checklists, sampling plans, standard work, training materials, and technical documentation through disciplined change control.
• Develop Fermentation Managers/Supervisors and Leads as strong technical and people leaders capable of teaching the science behind the process.
• Partner with Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, Automation, and R&D as needed while maintaining Manufacturing ownership of commercial fermentation execution, reliability, and continuous improvement.
• Provide technical input to equipment, instrumentation, automation, analytical capability, and capital decisions that affect manufacturing fermentation performance.
• Lead a culture of Safety, Quality, Respect, Transparency, and Innovation and ensure manufacturing decisions balance people safety, product quality, process reliability, and business performance.
• Support budget development, resource planning, succession planning, hiring, and department capability needs for the manufacturing fermentation organization.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability required.

• Bachelor's degree in microbiology, biology, biochemical/chemical engineering, fermentation science, biotechnology, or a closely related field; equivalent relevant industrial experience may be considered.

• Seven or more years of relevant industrial fermentation, industrial microbiology, biomanufacturing, food/feed fermentation, or related manufacturing experience, including meaningful production-scale responsibility.

• Demonstrated understanding of microbial or fungal fermentation, seed train operations, aseptic technique, contamination control, sterilization, sampling, and process troubleshooting.

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex scientific concepts into practical manufacturing standards, training, and decision-making tools.

• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, analytical thinking, and cross-functional problem-solving skills.

• Experience using manufacturing and laboratory data to investigate variation, identify root causes, and improve process reliability.
• Ability to work effectively in an industrial processing environment and respond to significant fermentation issues outside normal business hours when required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant scientific or engineering field.

• Experience leading fermentation teams or technical manufacturing organizations.

• Experience with microscopy (automated Nexcelom, bright field, phase, fluorescence), microbial assays, process analytical methods, statistical process control, or fermentation-related instrumentation and automation.
• Working knowledge of GMP/GLP principles, food/feed manufacturing quality systems, sanitation, and controlled/aseptic environments.

Prairie AquaTech Manufacturing, LLC dba Houdek is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.