Fermentation Operator (f/m/x)

Role Overview

We are looking for a hands-on Fermentation Operator to run day-to-day bench-scale fermentation operations and support the scale-up of our precision fermentation technology. You will operate and maintain bioreactors, prepare media and feeds, and ensure every batch is executed to SOP with precise, real-time documentation. This includes acting as a key part of our lab team, working closely with Process Development and Ingredient Research to keep fermentations running safely, reliably, and audit-ready.

Location: Frankfurt am Main

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About Formo

The world needs more protein than ever - not just protein that's better for the planet, but protein that performs better. We stand at the start of that shift, and we intend to lead it through precision fermentation.

Formo is the biotech protein engine for food and nutrition, starting with enhanced casein. Casein is our first hero ingredient, and it's already winning on its own merits: better functionality than animal-based casein. Sustainable, and simply better protein. And it's only the start. We're building the engine behind it: the data, the science, the speed to keep producing the next generation of high-performance proteins.

We partner with the world's leading food and nutrition manufacturers to bring these ingredients to market at scale. From our home base in Frankfurt am Main, a team of entrepreneurs, scientists, and operators drawn from across the globe is doing the work that decides what food is made of next. Our vision? Making the cow optional. Our common thread? A passion for challenging the status quo and transforming the food and nutrition industry.

Join us at the start of the performance era of food!

Key Responsibilities

Fermentation Operations

• Operate bench-scale glass fermenters: assembly, sterilisation, inoculation, monitoring, harvest, shutdown

• Run fermentations to SOPs and batch records, several vessels in parallel

• Prepare media, feeds, and buffers: weighing, mixing, pH adjustment, sterile filtration

• Calibrate and maintain pH and DO probes; replace seals, tubing, and consumables

Lab Support & Documentation

• Take aseptic samples on schedule and run routine in-process checks (OD, pH, microscopy, contamination plating)

• Record process data, deviations, and observations in batch records and the ELN, in real time

• Manage consumables and raw material stock; keep the lab clean, ordered, and audit-ready

Safety & Compliance

• Clean and sterilise vessels, probes, lines, and parts; autoclaving and manual cleaning

• Maintains strict compliance with safety protocols and SOPs

About You

Education & Experience

• Vocational training as a biology, chemistry, or food technology lab technician (e.g. Biologielaborant, BTA, CTA, or equivalent), or a Bachelor's in biotech, biology, or food science

• No fermentation experience required - we train you on the process

• Plus: GMP, food, brewing, or pharma production experience

Technical & Functional Skills

• Solid microbiological basics: aseptic technique, contamination sources, growth and cultivation principles

• Hands-on with equipment: pumps, tubing, fittings, probes, autoclaves. Comfortable with physical work

• Precise documentation habits

• Plus: bioreactor or process control software exposure; basic mechanical skills

Mindset

• Reliable, safety-conscious, follows procedure exactly and flags problems rather than working around them

Collaboration & Communication

• Flexible around run schedules: occasional early starts, late finishes. No fixed shifts

• Good English skills

Why you’ll love it here

Ready to shake things up?

At Formo, you don’t just trade your labor for compensation - you join a mission. One powered by frontier science, real-world impact, and a team of brilliant, driven people who care deeply about what they’re building.

You’ll work side by side with interdisciplinary experts across highly skilled entrepreneurs, scientists, and operators. We believe the best ideas emerge when diverse perspectives collide, and when people are trusted with responsibility, autonomy, and meaningful challenges.

We’re building something ambitious, and we take the work seriously - but not ourselves. Expect close collaboration, fast learning and innovation, and a culture that celebrates progress (often with tastings 🧀).

What we offer:

• Help reinvent one of the world’s most iconic food categories

• Participate in employee equity and build long-term ownership in what we’re creating

• Benefit from regular team off-sites, monthly perks like discounted public transport passes and fitness memberships

• Invest in your growth with a dedicated annual development budget for learning, training, and conferences

• Enjoy 28 days of paid vacation, and an additional day after 3 and 4 years tenure

• Make an impact on the environment and society with 1 (fully paid) Team Impact Day

• Work in an innovative office and lab environment with access to cutting-edge food and biotech infrastructure

• Connect over regular team lunches, healthy and not so healthy snacks and drinks and shared moments that bring the team together

Disclaimer

Formo is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, genetic information, color, physical or mental disability, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.