VACANCY | Science and Innovation Manager

We offer:

 
•    A versatile and challenging position with full responsibility of all technical aspects that are needed to support our organization, our community, and our impact.   
•    A great working culture in an action-oriented team of purpose-driven colleagues in an ambitious organization, allowing you to make a true impact in the biotech sector. 

About Planet B.io

At Planet B.io we believe that modern biotechnology offers unique solutions for the transition into a sustainable, bio-based and circular society. The purpose of Planet B.io is to support biotech companies to successfully innovate and grow. We offer two main services:  we build a local community of biotech organizations at the Biotech Campus Delft, where we offer labs and offices, shared facilities, space to grow and produce, and a vibrant community. Secondly, we build a global network of a wide variety of organizations that offer services that support our community.     
The motto of Planet B.io is Collaboration for Impact. Our activities range from scouting interesting companies, organizing events, facilitating financial support (subsidies and investments), leveraging a network of scientific, technical and business support. 
Planet B.io is a non-profit, impact-oriented triple helix organization, founded in 2020 by dsm-firmenich, TU Delft, Municipality of Delft, Province of South Holland, and InnovationQuarter. We are a team of 10 people, highly driven by doing the right thing to create true impact. Our success is not measured by profit, but by the success of the development of the biotech sector, with Delft as a rapidly growing homebase with a bright future.  

Planet B.io is located at the Biotech Campus Delft, a unique location that has been a center of excellence for industrial biotech since 1869. Today, about 1200 people and 28 biotech companies are present at the campus, varying from corporates (dsm-firmenich, LeSaffre, Centrient) to scaleups to startups. There is also a pilot plant on campus and greenfield for new production facilities. Since 2023, a partnership with ASR Dutch Science Park Fund has secured a bright future for the Biotech Campus Delft with the intention to invest €500 million in new lab and office buildings in the coming 20 years. Planet B.io is responsible for developing the local community at the Biotech Campus Delft and connecting it to the (inter)national biotech ecosystem.

About the position

The Science & Innovation manager contributes to the success of Planet B.io by shaping and managing all activities related to science, technology and innovation. 
Internally, the S&I manager is responsible for management of our shared labs and infrastructure on campus. Externally, the S&I manager manages and grows our network of  residents, members, partners and other stakeholders mostly from a technical perspective. The S&I manager has a central role in our team and works closely together with many of the team members.

 
Detailed outline of the activities of the S&I manager

Within Planet B.io and with our Residents:

• Oversee our shared technical facilities (Education lab, Flexible Bio lab, general technical facilities at the campus), incl. acquisition of new customers for the shared labs. Closely collaborate with the lab manager.
• Technical account management to Planet B.io residents, particularly to the CTO’s, understand their needs and provide support.
• Further develop our scale up value proposition at the Biotech Campus Delft (BCD), build close relationships with external scaleup partners. 
• In collaboration with our business development manager, organise startup programs, start-up challenges, startup and technology landscaping, pressure cookers etc.
• Support our grant manager by identifying technical opportunities for Planet B.io and our community to join regional, national and European collaborations.
• Support business development manager and partnership manager with scientific assessment of leads, new partners.
• Support communication and community manager to provide S&I input, e.g. white papers about the latest scientific developments in biotech or topics for Planet B.io events (Let’s Talk Bio lunches, Scaleup event etc.). 

Support our Partners and extend our External Network:

• Manage the collaboration with dsm-firmenich (e.g. stimulate interaction between our community and the R&D and Innovation community).
• Manage the collaboration with the TU Delft to support the residents, members and leads of Planet B.io (e.g. by research collaborations, exchanging facilities or equipment at TUD or Planet Bio).
• Stimulate entrepreneurship at the TU Delft, in collaboration with relevant partners (BiotechBooster, YES!Delft, Innovation & Impact Center, iGEM) and our Business Development manager. Manage the Kickstart Fund.  
• Setup and manage an external network of experts and coaches in relevant biotech-related fields.
• Represent Planet B.io in biotech networks (e.g. hollandbio, BiotechBooster, CAN, NBV, EuropaBio).
• Maintain current, and build new connections to relevant universities/TTOs/schools/research centres for collaboration at the level of education, research and entrepreneurship (e.g. Leiden, Erasmus, FoodValley area, Nucleate, SynbioNL, etc.).
• Identify new trends in biotech, identify opportunities for Planet B.io to contribute (e.g. C1, AI, synthetic biology etc.).

Requirements

• PhD in biotech, preferably industrial biotech, preferably with experience in bioprocess technology.
• 10+ years of experience, preferably both in academic and commercial setting.
• Can work independently and identifies opportunities.
• Strong networking skills and external orientation.
• Fluent in English; Dutch is a plus. 

Your personality

• Collaboration and networking are your natural skills.
• You are an independent thinker and worker, and you capture new opportunities and finish what you start.
• Your way of working is hands-on and result oriented.
• You are a good communicator; you keep colleagues and stakeholders well-informed, and you understand the importance of customer-orientation.
• You are a team player; you fit best in our team if you strive for a better world and bring in a positive attitude and a good sense of humor. 

Offer
A 0,8 - 1 FTE job. Initial contract will be for one year, which can be prolonged upon mutual agreement.
Partial working from home can be discussed.
Salary in line with the experience of the candidate.

Application process
Please submit by sending your application by December 1st 2025 to info@planet-b.io, including your CV and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and motivation for applying.