Production Engineer

Who is Nulixir?Nulixir, a nano-biotechnology start-up, is a VC-backed business-to-business (B2B) company that develops, manufactures, and licenses intellectual property (IP) for smart nanocarriers, called nanovesicles, which optimize the performance of functional ingredients in food & beverage products. Nulixir, as the Function HouseTM, is revolutionizing the functional ingredient space by introducing a realm of functionality and shaping the future of intelligent food. This patented technology (70+ patents) has applications across multiple verticals in food and beverage (e.g., nootropics, energy stimulants, vitamins, probiotics, protein, etc.).Founded in 2019, the company brought together a team of CPG leaders, cancer researchers, US attorneys, and nutritionists to overcome long-standing challenges in the Food and Beverage Industry. The firm's founder has extensive experience in the development of nanocarriers for cancer therapeutics.In the past-year, Nulixir sales have grown ~8x with strong interest from small, mid-size and many large CPG companies to partner with Nulixir and incorporate the technology in their products. Nulixir boasts an impressive board of senior executives from companies like Pepsi, Danone, McKinsey & Company, Paine Schwartz Partners, etc. The company currently has 30+ employees with a stellar executive team who come from food B2B companies such as ADM, Givaudan, Kerry, and ex-MBB consultants.Position Overview:Nulixir is looking for a highly qualified and experienced professional to co-lead Nulixir's manufacturing operations. You will partner closely with Product Development, Sales, and Procurement functions to deliver premium quality products to our B2B customers in a timely and cost-efficient manner as well as continuously identify ways to improve our manufacturing operations as we scale-up over time.You should be highly experienced in the advanced manufacturing operations. The ideal candidate has immense intellectual curiosity, operations rigor, quality-focus mindset, metrics driven approach, and strong technical and quality control background. In this role, you will directly report to the Head of Operations.Position Location:This position will be based at our HQ facilities located in the Austin, TX Metropolitan Area.In this critically important role, you will be responsible for:Leading a segment of Nulixir's day-to-day manufacturing operations to include developing a daily production plan and ensuring daily operations goals are realizedManage a growing team of Production Operators and TechniciansDevelop plans for all aspects of production including equipment purchases, staffing needs, work schedules, and material requirementsManage an annual capital spend of ~$2M+ and annual operating budget of ~$1.5M+Design, implement, and manage production forecasting, capacity planning, and production scheduling based on prioritization of different customer orders in partnership with Commercial team and ensure orders are met in a timely fashionCollaborate with procurement and supply chain to plan raw materials inventory to ensure timely availability for productionEnsure a healthy and safe manufacturing environment for all employees in compliance with federal and state regulationsDevelop a thorough understanding of process flow and key controls of the manufacturing processes; use this knowledge along with daily observations of all areas of the operations facility to drive continuous improvement of throughput and yieldDesign and implement new manufacturing processes and procedures to improve efficiency and reduce costsDesign and implement SOPs providing production instruction for all formulations including make-to-stock and made-to-order runsBuild a robust preventative maintenance plan for all manufacturing equipment and order new parts in timely fashion to minimize downtime driven by equipment issuesDevise strategy to scale up operations and implement new extraction and production lines to consistently to grow Nulixir's manufacturing capacity supporting sales growth in a cost-efficient mannerConduct feasibility test of scaling up production for new SKUs as part of product development process in partnership with Commercialization teamDevelop robust SOPs for end-to-end manufacturing process for each new product being produced for first-time; leverage learnings from bench-top scaleDefine quality standards (including both quality control and quality assurance) across our manufacturing (bench top to large scale) and setting up systems and processes to meet those standardsEstablish a robust metrics-driven system to measure quality of each batch and develop processes to meet defined goals for these metrics (e.g., particle size, PH, etc.)Lead processes to obtain GMP, Organic, and other relevant certifications for Nulixir's manufacturing facility Maintain relevant quality and regulatory certification on an annual basisRelevant Job Experiences, Skills, and Key requirements for this role:A minimum of 3+ years of experience in manufacturing operations with experience in food & beverage, food B2B, or other industries with adjacent manufacturing processesWorked in a variety of manufacturing roles, including quality control, production, maintenance, purchasing, inventory management and logisticsAny relevant certifications related to manufacturing operations and / or quality control preferred but not a requirementEstablishing new manufacturing systems, processes, and operations (e.g., experience in setting up new facilities)Strong experience in establishing and maintaining a world-class quality organization within food and beverageExperience with rapidly growing, fast paced businesses and / or start-up experience; need to have a good understanding of start-up culture and mentalityCollaborative work style with colleagues across functions, partners, and external support resources to analyze and draw actionable conclusions that impact manufacturing operations and related costsAbility to clearly communicate findings and to support conclusions and recommendations.Self-motivated, organized, and resilient - with ability to define goals, prioritize workplans and overcome obstacles.Comfortable working at both a strategic and tactical levelStrong verbal and written communication and reporting skillsAbility to find creative solutions to complex problemsEntrepreneurial and self-starterThrives in an ambiguous environment with limited datapoints Self-motivated, high energy and collaborative work stylePay Range:$70 - $90K plus bonusStock Options (after initial employment period)We Offer:A unique and diverse company culture, shaped by people with commitment, sense of responsibility, risk-taking and disciplineAn excellent start-up work environment, flat hierarchy, and short decision pathsCompetitive salaryHealth, Dental and Vision InsuranceAnnual Performance Bonus; andStock options.Nulixirians' Culture:We recruit, promote, and reward based off of our five core values:Sleeves Up At Nulixir, we provide the autonomy and creativity needed to own your role, iterate where needed and drive impact on a massive scale.100% Transparency Nulixir is passionate about open feedback at all levels of the company. This allows us to fail fast, create in real time and build an open company culture.Be Defiantly Great We are defiant, that's in our lifeblood, we accomplish what other people think are impossible. Challenging the status quo is our lifeblood.Unconditional Empathy Our customers are real people with real business needs, and we are here to listen and tackle accordingly. If we care and respect each other, there is no challenge we can't overcome.Be the solution, not just the critic take ownership and drive collaboration. We work together and we build together.

Created: 2025-03-03