Senior Microbiology Engineer

About us

Spore.Bio is a deeptech startup building a new generation of microbiological quality control for the Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverage, and Cosmetics industries .

Traditional microbiology methods require long incubation times before manufacturers can make critical decisions about product safety and quality. At Spore.Bio, we are developing a radically faster approach combining microbiology, advanced optical technologies, and machine learning to detect and characterize microbial contamination.

We are looking for a Senior R&D Microbiology Engineer to join our Microbiology team and take a leading scientific role in the development, validation, and deployment of our technology.

You will work at the intersection of microbiology, data science, hardware, and product development , tackling complex scientific challenges and helping translate our technology from experimental concepts into robust solutions used in industrial environments.

About the role

As a Senior R&D Microbiology Engineer, you will own complex scientific topics and play a key role in defining how microbiology is approached across our technology and products.

• Scientific Strategy & Experimental Design: Own microbiology workstreams from scientific question to conclusion. Define hypotheses, experimental strategies, methodologies, acceptance criteria, and validation plans to answer complex technical and product questions.

• Method Development & Validation: Develop and challenge microbiological methods across different microorganisms, matrices, and use cases. Build robust experimental approaches and ensure their reproducibility, statistical relevance, and scalability.

• Data Interpretation & Scientific Decision-Making: Analyze complex experimental datasets, identify patterns and limitations, and translate results into clear scientific conclusions and product recommendations. Use data to challenge assumptions and guide technical decisions.

• Product Development & Tech Transfer: Translate laboratory results into robust protocols and methodologies that can be deployed in real industrial environments. Work closely with Product, Machine Learning, Hardware, and Software teams to bridge fundamental microbiology and product performance.

• Technical Leadership: Act as a scientific reference within the Microbiology team. Review experimental approaches and results, raise the scientific bar, and mentor engineers, scientists, and technicians on complex microbiology topics.

• Cross-Functional Project Leadership: Lead strategic R&D projects involving multiple technical teams. Structure priorities, identify scientific risks, coordinate stakeholders, and drive projects toward clear technical milestones.

• Industrial & Customer Applications: Contribute to the adaptation and validation of our technology across Pharma, Cosmetics, and Food & Beverage applications , including challenging microorganisms, matrices, and industrial testing environments.

• Quality, Compliance & Traceability: Ensure scientific rigor, traceability, and reproducibility while helping design processes that remain compatible with the speed and constraints of a fast-growing startup.

• Scientific Communication & External Collaboration: Represent Spore.Bio in technical discussions with customers, scientific partners, and industry experts. Contribute to scientific documentation, publications, patents, conferences, and regulatory discussions when relevant.

About you

We are looking for someone with strong scientific depth who is comfortable taking ownership of complex and ambiguous microbiology problems.

• Academic Background: PhD in microbiology, biotechnology, biological sciences, or a related discipline, or a Master’s degree combined with significant relevant industry experience.

• Experience: Typically 5+ years of relevant experience in microbiology R&D, applied research, method development, or industrial microbiology. Experience in Pharma, Cosmetics, Food & Beverage, diagnostics, or biotechnology is particularly relevant.

• Microbiology Expertise: Strong hands-on expertise in microbiological methods, microbial culture, enumeration and detection techniques, contamination monitoring, and experimental design.

• Method Development: Demonstrated experience developing, optimizing, or validating microbiological methods and investigating complex experimental results.

• Scientific Leadership: Proven ability to independently structure scientific problems, make technical decisions, challenge experimental approaches, and drive R&D projects from initial hypothesis to validated conclusion.

• Cross-Functional Mindset: Comfortable working with scientists and engineers outside your own field, particularly Data Science, Machine Learning, Hardware, Software, and Product teams.

• Data-Driven Approach: Strong ability to interpret experimental data and use quantitative evidence to make decisions. Experience with statistical analysis and tools such as Python or R is a plus.

• Industrial Mindset: You understand that a scientifically elegant solution also needs to be robust, reproducible, scalable, and usable in real-world environments .

• Communication: Able to communicate complex scientific topics clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Professional fluency in English is required; French is a plus.

• Autonomy & Ownership: You are comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy, navigating ambiguity, and taking responsibility for important scientific decisions.

You do not need to have worked on exactly the same technology as us. We care about scientific depth, intellectual curiosity, ownership, and your ability to solve difficult problems .

Why join us?

• Work on a technology that could fundamentally change how microbiological quality control is performed.

• Solve challenging scientific problems at the intersection of microbiology, photonics, machine learning, and industrial applications .

• Take ownership of high-impact R&D projects with a direct path from the laboratory to real customer environments.

• Join a multidisciplinary team of microbiologists, engineers, data scientists, and product experts.

• Have a meaningful influence on our scientific strategy and on how our microbiology capabilities scale as the company grows.

What we offer

We believe flexibility and trust are important parts of our working environment.

• Flexible working arrangements and access to our Paris office and laboratories.

• Budget for remote work equipment.

• Gymlib subscription.

• Premium health insurance ( Alan in France).

• Swile meal card for employees based in France.

• Frequent team events and company gatherings.

Recruitment process

• 30-minute introductory call with a team member.

• 45-minute interview with the Hiring Manager.

• Technical case study followed by a debrief with members of the team.

• 1-hour Founders interview.

• Reference calls.

You may also be invited to meet additional team members and visit our laboratories.

This role is particularly suited to someone who wants to remain deeply involved in science while taking increasing ownership and technical leadership . You will have the opportunity to influence both the scientific foundations of our technology and how they translate into products deployed in some of the world's most demanding industrial environments.