Business Development and Sales lead

This business development and sales position is an opportunity to work on the founding team of a food biotechnology startup. Symbio Bioculinary is a Bloomington, Illinois based startup developing fermentation technology for food waste reduction. We are looking for an exceptional individual that will become an integral part of our team and work in direct collaboration with the CEO and other founding team members. This position encompasses a range of work throughout all aspects of the company including business development, sales, strategy, fundraising, financial planning and analysis, operations, contract negotiation, regulatory compliance and other duties. The role requires rapid learning and engagement with a range of business disciplines, as well as an understanding of biotechnology, food science and the ability to communicate and interface with technical team members. 

This is a COO-track position at a rapidly-growing company with compensation to scale according to company success. The position is full-time with benefits and the opportunity for equity ownership. 

The individual in this role must: 

• Be highly independent, motivated and collaborative. 
• Able to interact positively with people of varied backgrounds.
• Possess extremely strong written and verbal communication skills. 
• Perform well under pressure while remaining kind, humble and empathetic to those around them.
• Able to evaluate and simplify complex information to make good decisions under stressful conditions. 
• Have a basic understanding of biology and food science with the willingness to learn.
• Be interested in working at an early-stage startup company

The ideal candidate: 

•  Has a passion for fermentation, food microbiology and synthetic biology, as well as an interest in food system sustainability. 
• Has experience in the startup environment, especially in biotech, foodtech or related areas. 
• Is looking for a long-term role with leadership opportunities. 

Duties for this position include: 

• Marketing and client acquisition: Develop marketing materials, oversee client outreach and advertising strategy. 
• Sales: Lead sales efforts, identifying and pursuing strategic client leads. Manage ongoing client relationships in collaboration with the technical team. 
• Business strategy: Development of business growth strategy, partnership strategy and other strategic planning as needed. Implementation and continual tracking of objectives. 
• Legal and compliance: Facilitate contract negotiation and drafting in consultation with CEO, advisors and SBC legal counsel. Ensure compliance with existing contracts and agreements, and proactively identify potential legal issues and challenges. 
• Financial planning and analysis: Update and revise financial model, track key objectives and analyze financial data. Oversee planning of financial strategy in consultation with CEO and advisors. 
• Fundraising: Develop fundraising strategy in consultation with CEO, prepare grant proposals and competition applications. Participate in pitch competitions and serve as company representative during fundraising events. Assist CEO during Venture Capital pitching, due diligence and negotiations. 
• Operations: Manage projects in coordination with the technical team, communicating with clients and external partners. Assist with other operational and technical tasks as needed.