About the role:

Flagship Pioneering is seeking a Senior Associate to help originate and build new science-based companies as part of Flagship’s Pioneering Abundance initiative that is shifting the global paradigm from extracting and optimizing finite resources to expanding the world’s essential resource base. Pioneering Abundance connects and scales proven scientific and technology platforms, while launching new ones across agriculture, essential elements, energy, and foundational AI; creating a compounding ecosystem designed to unlock new sources of abundance and fuel the next era of economic growth. In this role, you will explore emerging areas of biology and technology, develop original venture hypotheses, design rapid experiments to test the most important assumptions, and help translate the strongest ideas into new companies.

This role sits at the intersection of science, strategy, and company creation. Working closely with a Principal or Partner and colleagues across the Flagship ecosystem, you will contribute across the full origination journey, from scientific exploration and intellectual-property strategy to recruiting, company planning, and early team leadership. A successful candidate will become an expert on the foundational science of the company, frame and clearly communicate the strategy, and translate that strategy into a plan and lead all facets of operationalization. Senior Associates will be expected to independently lead major workstreams and mentor or manage early team members.

This role can be based in Cambridge, MA or Research Triangle Park, NC

Key Responsibilities:

Contribute to and lead Flagship explorations to rapidly assess interesting areas of science and develop novel, actionable and high-value venture hypotheses to improve sustainability, productivity and profitability of growers.
Outline key scientific questions to enable venture hypotheses and develop experimental plans to rapidly create value and pressure test ideas
Identify, build, and maintain relationships with appropriate academic KOLs and thought experts, ie, introducing them to the Flagship model, getting early buy-in, vetting/validation and de-risking key concepts of venture hypotheses
Understand IP landscape, formulate initial strategy, and write seminal applications for the technology and company. Assess patentability of existing IP landscape, including of key competitors and of potentially licensable estate
Develop corporate strategy and operations plan for the company. Define value creation, identify application spaces, build out organizational chart, define company goals, timelines and resourcing and identify strategic inflection points to set the company on the path to rapid growth and success
Develop audience-specific pitches for company
Support business development activities and continue to evolve the story
Manage and coordinate early scientific and IP employees. Source, recruit and manage KOLs and early-stage employees as well as relationships with CROs.
Manage & lead scientific team (internal or external) and daily research. Manage operational tasks, including establishing lab facilities, purchasing, HR, real estate acquisition, etc.
Become an institutional subject matter expert and transfer knowledge to active company team. Stay up to date on the literature, conferences, funding opportunities, and new developments.
Work closely with and leverage Flagship operations teams (Finance, IP, IT, HR, and Talent) for maximal operational excellence

Professional Experience and Qualifications:

The ideal candidate has a PhD from a top university with expertise in plant biology, plant pathology, plant physiology, biochemistry or genetics, and preferably have start-up or entrepreneurial activities. At least 4 years of relevant experience beyond doctoral training, or an equivalent record of progressively responsible work and demonstrated independent leadership are expected. The candidate must have a passion for novel science and be operationally savvy.

Important skills and capabilities include: