Job DescriptionAPPLICATIONS CLOSE AT 12PM ON FRIDAY 9TH MAY
SALARY RANGE: £50,000+ (DEPENDENT ON EXPERIENCE)
ABOUT US
Modern Synthesis is a biotech company bringing life to new materials. Founded by ex-Adidas designer Jen Keane and synthetic biologist Dr. Ben Reeve, we work with bacteria to produce an entirely new class of nanocellulose-based materials, which deliver performance without plastics and aesthetics without animal inputs. Designed for applications within fashion and beyond, our 100% biobased materials not only displace animal leathers or plastic-based materials, but also generate entirely new textile possibilities for designers. You can read more about our technology on our website.
We believe that big breakthroughs happens when disparate disciplines, perspectives and ideas collide. As a team of biologists, chemists, designers, engineers, business experts, and microbes, we get to witness this magic on a daily basis. From our strong culture of debate (hot takes always welcome 🌶️) to our bi-weekly deep dives, we intentionally embed collaboration and growth into everything we do.
We hire people, not roles, so we can be flexible on scope. We strongly encourage you to apply if you think you’re qualified for a portion of this role, and can demonstrate a proven ability to take on new skills and challenges.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As our Partnerships Manager, you’ll create impact by directly driving revenue generation, catalysing and nurturing partnerships, and capitalising on new business opportunities.
Reporting to our Head of Growth, this role centres on getting our materials out of the lab and into products in the market. You’ll be selling our portfolio of developing material products to some of the biggest names in fashion, automotive and beyond - whilst using insights gained on the job to shape future products. We’ll also count on you to be our eyes and ears to the market, keeping the team abreast of trends and opportunities across a wide spectrum of application spaces.
This isn’t a plug and play position. We're looking for someone who has the ingenuity and drive to help us build the material brand of the future. No matter your background, you’ll use your emotional intelligence and thorough understanding of sales techniques to help us reach the next level of commercialisation.
RESPONSIBILITIES
* Efficiently convert inbound leads into qualified leads by understanding the specific needs and pain points of each potential customer and prioritising each lead based on company objectives
* Manage efficient lead management systems and automation tools, ensuring that each potential partner is promptly followed up with and nurtured through the sales funnel
* Review and edit contracts such as NDAs and material supply agreements with support from our legal counsel
* Contribute to ongoing financial analysis, helping us to tell our quantitative growth story to our key stakeholders
* Conduct market research to unearth new areas of opportunity for the company over the short, medium, and long term
* Coordinate material sampling logistics and filter market insights gained on the job into wider product direction
* Assist in organising sales events, webinars and conferences and generate new leads at these events
* Assess effectiveness of sales operations in order to identify areas of improvement
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
* Hard skills
o You love selling. You have 5+ years of experience in partnerships, sales, account management, or business development - and you can draw from this experience to evidence prior success in implementing strategies that hit revenue targets.
o You have experience working with CRM systems and managing sales pipeline processes.
o You have experience reviewing legal contracts. Detail oriented by nature, you’re comfortable with combing through legal contracts to propose changes that safeguard our growing business.
o You think in spreadsheets. You are analytically minded and are comfortable creatively sourcing data points to build defensible financial forecasts.
* Soft skills
o You understand humans. You’re the type of person who can radically empathise with a variety of people and are known to quickly build genuine connections with colleagues and external stakeholders.
o You’re undaunted by ambiguity. When you encounter a roadblock, your default response is “what an interesting challenge….”, a mindset which continuously enables you to creatively generate solutions and workarounds.
o You self start. You’re self-guided and highly comfortable balancing multiple assignments simultaneously within a fast-paced startup environment.
DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
The following skills and experience are not required for the role, but would be beneficial for a successful applicant:
* Existing knowledge of the fashion industry and/or automotive industry
* Degree in material science or textile design (or relevant work experience in either field)
* Already spends free time reading and thinking about biodesign, material trends, fashion tech and / or the circular economy
* Experience working in a start-up / scale-up environment
BENEFITS
* Company pension scheme
* Private Health Insurance, including vision, dental and stipends
* Enhanced Parental Leave Policy
* Hybrid working arrangements
* Flexible working hours
* Cycle-to-work Scheme
* Headspace subscription
* Individual training budget for professional development, including access to LinkedIn Learning
OUR VALUES
Co-Culture - We Co-Culture Change
Co-Culture reflects our commitment to cross-pollination internally and externally, our ability to lean on one another, and our role as a catalyst in both business and culture.
Growth - We Put Growth on a Pedestal
Growth speaks to our inspiration and creative use of biology, our bias towards impact and scale, and our dedication to empowering industry to ‘grow up’ from a harmful past.
By Design - We Do It All By Design
By Design articulates the intentionality, empathy and creativity built into every aspect of our work. It also denotes the importance of accountability and our adherence to core design thinking principles.
OUR HIRING PROCESS
Round 0. Apply online
Round 1. 25 minute exploratory phone interview where we’ll dive into your work history and motivations for applying to Modern Synthesis
Round 2. 1 hour skills interview where we’ll explore the skills and knowledge you’ll bring to this role. Successful candidates will be asked to prepare a case study for the final Round 3.
Round 3. An on-site panel interview, where you'll present your preparation for the case study and meet with key members of the team.
MODERN SYNTHESIS ED&I STATEMENT
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. The greatest ideas stem from a variety of perspectives, and an environment that supports equal representation and opportunities for all.
We are committed to driving global change.
We only have one planet we all call home, and we need to work together to protect it. We believe in collaboration and a culture of debate. Disagreements are a chance to refocus our direction. We call this co-culture.
We welcome people of all races, genders, religions, ages, backgrounds, and abilities to our workplace and are committed to ensuring all our employees are safe, heard, represented and provided with every opportunity to thrive.
Equally we will act with integrity, purpose and respect in everything we do. We too are human. We will likely make mistakes and need to continue evolving our approach to ED&I as the world around us changes.