Laboratory Technical Assistant

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:

We’re looking for someone who’s passionate, technically-minded, and organised to join our “Foundry Operations” team, a diverse team of scientists, engineers, and operators focused on improving every aspect of our early manufacturing and R&D efforts. This interdisciplinary team supports, improves, and maintains the momentum of our incredible spaces, tools, data and experiments.

As a Laboratory Technical Assistant you will support the day to day functions of our R&D and Manufacturing laboratory and warehouse spaces. Together with the rest of the Foundry Operations team, you will help ensure our laboratory and warehouse spaces are well-maintained, stocked and organised for smooth running and day-day operation.

The ideal candidate is a talented generalist who is organised, detail-oriented with a strong ability to multitask, take on any challenge and implement clever solutions. You will collaborate with both our R&D and manufacturing teams where you will gain knowledge of each team’s processes, and use this knowledge to address their current and future needs. You also don’t mind getting your hands dirty and when you see a problem, you jump in, help out and fix it.

You have:

• A working history that includes some hands-on lab experience, or a Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques or a relevant biological sciences degree
• Strong communication skills
• A first principles mindset and the ability to challenge ways of operating
• Strong collaboration and interpersonal capabilities
• An innate drive to organise things - you're very detail oriented and like everything in its place!
• A high ownership mentality. You like to get things done and have a strong bias to action
• A strong ability to multitask
• A keen interest in sustainability, science and food
• Bonus: Experience at another hyper-growth start-up

You will:

• Perform general housekeeping and maintenance of laboratory and warehouse facilities
• Perform routine cleaning and maintenance of equipment
• Assist with troubleshooting equipment issues and organising servicing/repairs/maintenance
• Stocktaking and preparation of high-use laboratory reagents
• Assist with organising warehouse spaces and managing inventory of lab consumables
• Assist with capturing and updating records of incoming stock and equipment in our inventory and asset management systems
• Conducting inductions and training sessions of laboratory spaces and equipment for new and existing team members
• Continuously improve our laboratory spaces and processes to make our manufacturing and R&D as efficient and impactful as possible
• Engage with the rest of the Foundry Operations team to solve a wide variety of multi-disciplinary challenges as required. E.g. input into software development/design meetings, data capture, automation, purchasing, office operations, safety and occasional lab work assistance

What success looks like:

In the first month, you’ll ramp up on all things Vow, cultured meat and our manufacturing/R&D spaces. This will include induction to our laboratory and warehouse facilities, our systems, how we work and our company wide objectives. By the end of this month, you’ll be a fully functional member of the team, playing a key part in the day to day running of our laboratory spaces. **

Over the next few months, as the company prepares for a year of massive growth, you will continuously work to improve our spaces and practices so our current and future laboratory spaces can be as clean, efficient and scalable as possible.

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 top 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.

You don’t have to have every listed requirement and skill to be a great fit - you may even teach us something about what we should be looking for! If you are passionate about this opportunity and think you have the skills to succeed, please apply! If not, but you know someone who might be interested, please share this post.