This is a rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in defining a new material category and get in on the ground floor of a rapidly growing (pun intended) industry.

As Head of Product, you will work directly with our founders, tech and marketing teams to shape our material product direction. Overseeing material innovation projects from conception to commercialization, you will manage partnerships and relationships with leading brands across verticals including luxury fashion, high-performance, technical, automotive and others to deliver a range of sustainable and scalable materials enabled by our bio-manufacturing platform.

Working in a fast paced startup with huge opportunities for growth, you’ll have unparalleled access to cutting edge research, and a world-class roster of advisors and teammates. We can’t promise it’ll always be glamorous, but we can promise it’ll be exciting!

Are you passionate about new manufacturing technologies and want to help drive material change across industries? We’d love to meet you.

Job responsibilities

Product Innovation and Management (Biomaterials)

• Develop / Support an ambitious long-term innovation strategy and pipeline that will set us apart from our competitors
• Communicate internally and externally to identify and prioritise customer requirements
• Work directly with founders, commercialization and technical teams to design and develop category defining biomaterials
• Set product strategy and parameters, straddling the balance of desirability, feasibility and scalability, weighing off short-term gains and long-term impact
• Develop plans, create documentation and share progress to help others understand both the opportunities and limitations of our product / process
• Collaborate with our lab + production teams to define and enforce quality standards in line with customer requirements
• Plan and oversee product R&D & joint development projects managing timelines and deliverables
• Represent the company with key customers, and at important industry events to promote and educate the community about our product offerings, activities and values
• Set product sustainability and impact goals
• Actively build team trust and promote an inclusive, high performance culture

Go-to-market (B2B) & Partnerships

• Develop both the go-to-market strategy for new materials and the tactical execution
• Identify and evaluate new business opportunities for co-creation
• Cultivate and manage partnership relationships. Be a key driver and trusted advisor to the companies that we work with
• Structure product and partner pipeline to maximize impact
• Drive the customer (B2B) journey from due diligence through to delivery
• Attract and secure long-term commercial deals with leading brand and manufacturing partners
• Lead terms negotiation and liaise with legal council on deal structuring
• Collaborate with our commercial team to set pricing strategy
• Identify and explore new product growth opportunities, actively contributing to company strategy
• Structure, build and manage product and partnerships team to support project pipeline and consistently exceed partner and customer expectations. This role starts with 1 direct report with the potential to grow your team quickly

About you

• 5+ years working for or with global brands in fashion, sportswear or lifestyle sectors with experience managing a team / direct reports
• Expertise managing and implementing material innovation projects with prior experience as a product manager, material developer, technical material designer, merchandiser or related role
• Excellent working knowledge of material industry sell-in requirements including technical specifications and testing parameters
• Proven experience negotiating & managing JDAs, creative and/or unconventional deals and partnerships
• Passionate and proactive about developing the next generation of materials
• Project management and execution: you can own dynamic, cross-functional work plans, finding the necessary resources to deliver on key milestones
• You thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment
• Skilled communicator and presenter, able to distill complex technical topics to simple terms
• Understanding of key sustainability and supply chain challenges in biomaterials sector
• Positive, can-do attitude, identifying potential obstacles with a mindset to find solutions + work arounds
• Committed to personal and team growth, fostering an environment where all team members feel supported and encouraged to do their best work.
• Willing to support the team in other functions as required in a quickly growing and evolving organization

Benefits

• Central London office and lab
• Competitive salary, pension plan and stock options
• 25 days leave + bank holidays
• Interdisciplinary team with opportunities for learning and growth
• Flexible working - WFH supported 1-2 days a week
• Support from world leading experts and advisors
• Real, positive impact

Details

Manager: Jen Keane (Co-founder & CEO)
Salary: 40-60K + equity (can vary based on experience)
Desired start date: As soon as possible
Location: London

We’re hiring on a rolling basis, so encourage you to apply as early as possible.

How to apply

Send CV and cover letter (with the position you are applying for in the subject line) to people@mod-synth.com

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