Downstream Process Engineer

About Nūmi 🚀

Nūmi is a bioproduction platform harnessing human mammary cells to produce key ingredients with proven health benefits across all stages of life. More specifically, it is the first European cultivated breast milk company aiming to produce human milk constituents to better match the ideal nutrition for babies. We are an early-stage, VC-backed biotech based in the heart of Paris (Hôpital Cochin, Paris 14th) and supported by world-class investors and scientific partners.

⚖️ Nūmi's Values

☀️ Positivity: At Nūmi, we cultivate positivity every day. Our mission drives us to communicate with passion and energy, always keeping the bigger impact in sight. We celebrate quick wins, but never lose track of our ultimate goal.

🤸 Excellence: At Nūmi, excellence starts with dedication and a commitment to constant improvement. We embrace challenges as opportunities to learn and push ourselves to deliver high-quality results. Through effort, attention to detail, and integrity, we grow both individually and collectively as a team.

💙 Teamwork and Pedagogy: At Nūmi, we believe that teamwork makes us stronger. We encourage knowledge-sharing, open feedback, and mutual respect. Each Nūmiz is here to lift others up, ensuring that the collective succeeds.

🚀 Ambition: At Nūmi, we set ambitious goals and challenge ourselves to think big. Nūmi is driven by bold ideas and relentless determination, always aiming for the stars to create real impact.

What we are looking for

Nūmi is looking for a Downstream Process Engineer to join our DSP function, reporting to our Senior DSP Engineer. You will execute purification and formulation experiments hands-on, contribute to process optimisation and scale-up, and grow in a small, high-ownership environment.

Key Responsibilities

🧪 Execute purification experiments across chromatography (ion exchange, affinity, HIC, SEC), filtration (MF, UF, DF, TFF), centrifugation, precipitation, drying and formulation.
🔬 Design, run and interpret DoE studies to optimise DSP unit operations.
📈 Support scale-up from lab (2-5 L) to pilot (50-200 L), including bench-scale mimics of larger-scale operations.
📋 Contribute to product characterisation using biochemical assays (SDS-PAGE, ELISA, HPLC, enzymatic assays).
👩🏻‍💻 Document experimental work rigorously in ELN and contribute to R&D reports.
🤝 Collaborate closely with Senior DSP Engineer, other DSP Engineers, USP team and Analytics.
📝 Contribute to writing sections of internal documentation feeding the Novel Food regulatory dossier under the coordination of the CMC Lead.

Requirements

• MSc or PhD in bioprocess engineering, chemical engineering, biochemistry or a related discipline, with 5 to 8 years of hands-on DSP experience.
• Solid command of chromatography and membrane unit operations.
• Comfortable with DoE, scale-down modelling and process characterisation.
• Strong critical thinker, comfortable working from scientific literature, curious about novel processes.
• Excellent aseptic technique in biosafety cabinets.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.

Bonus

• Prior experience in precision fermentation, milk ingredient purification, HMOs or oligosaccharide purification.
• Familiarity with ELN and project management tools.
• Prior startup or scale-up environment experience.

Benefits

🚀 Unique opportunity to be one of the first employees at an early-stage biotech company, shaping the future of nutrition.

💥 Growth opportunities: you will have the opportunity to grow and develop with the company.

🔬 Access to top-quality facilities, research services and infrastructure.

💰 Competitive salary, partial coverage of health insurance, transport and lunch.

⭐ Employee first mentality; we prioritise the well-being of our team members, both in terms of their mental and physical health.

Recruitment process

• Initial skills matching and review of your background.
• First interview with our cofounder and CTO Eugénie.
• A technical case study to assess your understanding of bioprocess scale-up and industrialisation strategy.
• A last interview on-site to meet our cofounder and CEO Eden, part of the team and visit the labs.
• 2 to 3 reference calls.

Nūmi is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from people from all walks of life.