Engineer - Open Application

About us

Vow is a food company - a very different one. We’re creating real meat products from animal cells instead of the animal itself.

We’re bringing together cutting-edge innovations in science, engineering, culinary and design to make sustainable food that’s both irresistible and available to billions of people worldwide.

The role:

Do you want to build and deploy an arrangement of amazing products and multi-disciplinary technologies in Sydney? We're seeking engineers of all disciplines to join our team here in Alexandria, Sydney, Australia.  This is an open invitation to everyone who wants to get in on the ground floor of a leading company to take on a wide range of biological, technological and food development challenges.  Remote and visa sponsorship options are available depending on specific duties.

We’re looking for proven problem solvers who consider themselves experts in at least one area, thrive in a high autonomy environment, have an aptitude for new problem domains, and like working tightly in fast-paced and mixed-function program teams.  Engineers who like to start from scratch, have a keen eye for how to make things better, ask why persistently, operate on a first-principles basis and can act quickly are especially encouraged to apply.  This is a unique opportunity to work with a motivated and diverse group of top-notch researchers, engineers and chefs in a highly-collaborative and supportive environment.

We mix lean software, precision robotics, algorithms, biological data, umami, process engineering, proteins, angle grinders, custom front-ends, crafted culinary experiences, a dash of machine-learning, glue and data management systems to solve everyday problems in culinary arts, biotechnology and cellular agriculture.  If you’re interested in building reasonably priced and creatively-engineered systems, protocols, prototypes and infrastructure to help make cell-cultured meat outrageously tasty and affordable, then please submit an application today!

‍

Key characteristics of an ideal candidate:

• You have at least 3 years of professional experience engineering successful, complex and interdependent systems from scratch in a team environment.
• You’re able to easily identify and make pragmatic tradeoffs that incorporate cost/benefit into every key decision, rather than aiming for perfection or chasing rabbit holes.
• Willingness to enthusiastically tackle and own any part of a problem necessary to move the needle, including hardware, firmware, process optimisation, data engineering, operations management, lab work, and frontend, even if it means learning a new skill or being out of your comfort zone.

Bonus if you have:

• A love of food, cooking or experience in a culinary setting.
  

You will:

• Have autonomy to identify and work on the most valuable problems.  
• Review work of your fellow engineers, and mentor more junior engineers.
• Meaningfully contribute improvements to our culture and organisational processes.
• Learn about biology, hardware, design and culinary from our multidisciplinary team and leverage these balanced perspectives in your work.
  

What success looks like:

In the first month, you’ll get to know your team and manager, work alongside researchers, engineers and chefs to understand the unique challenges of the various program teams, learn the core science of cultured meat, and delve into our technology and tools to immediately create impactful improvements to our products, systems and processes. You could be creating an ML model, redesigning protocols, fabricating bioreactors, eliminating bottlenecks, building food prototypes with 3D printers, or establishing critical manufacturing and design services and partnerships with third-party vendors.

Vow more than just a job.

Who we are and why join:

• We are building a diverse, mission-driven 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, and have served up our exotic meats ranging from kangaroo dumplings to alpaca sliders in tastings with world-renowned chefs.
• Work with and learn from the best. Our team includes some of the world’s leading 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 for 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 (including pets!)
• Flexible working hours and location. We value work-life balance. While we’re mostly back in the office, you’re free to choose the best way for you to work.
• Unlimited personal leave. At Vow we recognise that sometimes you need time off to recuperate, look after your mental health, or simply deal with an emergency. We put unlimited personal leave in place to empower you to truly bring your best self to work every single day and you are always paid for days taken off as personal leave.
• 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, manufacturing line, free snacks, a culinary centre, and professional-grade coffee machine in our cafe, as well as a DIY workshop for all hands-on projects.
• 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.