Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) (London)

HannaSophiaCo

London

8 months ago

Applications closed

Chief Science and Commercial Officer (CSCO)Chief Science and Commercial Officer (CSCO)

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

Location:Hybrid | Relocation planned

Timing:Target hire aligned with next financing milestone

About Our Client

Our client is a highly ambitious, founder-led techbio company operating at the intersection of synthetic biology and AI. The company is addressing a critical bottleneck in modern biotech: the persistent disconnect between protein design and expression.

With a proprietary platform, strong early traction, and multidisciplinary in-house capabilities across data science, molecular biology, and bioinformatics, the team is now preparing to scale. They operate under stealth and hold all IP internally. This is not a spinout or academic offshoot, but a purpose-built company with platform potential.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Chief Science and Commercial Officer (CSCO) to lead scientific strategy and execution, while bridging that work to commercial and strategic goals. The right person will bring strong leadership experience, technical depth, and the ability to communicate a scientific vision internally and externally.

This is a pivotal executive hire who will help define the next chapter of the company’s growth. The individual will join a team that has already achieved proof-of-concept and now seeks to build market readiness, strategic partnerships, and long-term differentiation.

3 Key Selection Criteria

1. Established Scientific Leadership in Industry

Material experience in biotech or biopharma
Significant experience in a scientific leadership role (e.g. CSO, Director, Head level)
Deep understanding of protein expression systems, biomanufacturing, or therapeutic R&D

2. Startup-Stage Operating Experience

Experience in early-stage or scaling biotech/techbio
Familiar with navigating from PoC to MVP to commercial readiness
Comfortable managing across both computational and wetlab R&D functions

3. Visionary Thinking with Commercial Acumen

Proven ability to translate technical capability into platform strategy or business models
Strong external presence; experience engaging with investors, partners, or regulators
Track record of guiding partnerships or external-facing R&D initiatives

3 Core Requirements

1. Hybrid Scientific & Commercial Mindset

Ability to define scientific roadmap aligned with commercial drivers
Strategic thinking that connects technical feasibility with market opportunity

2. Builder of Teams and Culture

Experience building and leading multi-functional scientific teams
Strong mentoring instincts; ability to scale high-calibre scientific talent

3. Grit, Agility, and Growth Drive

Comfortable in early-stage, fast-paced environments
Not too senior to get hands-on; thrives in ambiguity and opportunity
Operates with urgency, ambition, and adaptability

Key Responsibilities

Define and lead long-term scientific strategy across platform and product development
Act as a public-facing scientific spokesperson in stealth-phase partner/investor settings
Grow, structure, and mentor the internal scientific team (computational and wetlab)
Align scientific execution with evolving business needs and fundraising milestones
Build relationships with potential collaborators, industry leaders, and future customers
Familiarity with AI-driven applications in protein design, drug discovery, or synthetic biology
Knowledge of regulatory and IP frameworks in biopharma or biomanufacturing
Previous experience in investor communications, VC-backed company leadership, or strategic partnerships

Why This Role, Why Now?

Foundational executive role in a highly differentiated platform company
Rare opportunity to influence category-defining science at an inflection point
Chance to join a company with a meaningful, global-impact mission
Operate with autonomy, clarity of purpose, and strong early technical validation

Process & Timeline

Initial conversationwith retained search representative
Follow-up callwith founding team (schedule-dependent)
Deeper session(e.g. working session or whiteboard)
Final round discussions, aligned with next funding milestone

There is scope for the successful candidate to begin in anadvisory capacityahead of full-time transition.

All conversations will be held in strict confidence. We encourage early expressions of interest ahead of formal financing close.

Seniority level

Seniority levelExecutive

Employment type

Employment typeFull-time

Job function

Job functionSales and Management
IndustriesBusiness Consulting and Services

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at HannaSophiaCo by 2x

London, England, United Kingdom 6 days ago

Essex, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

Greater London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London Area, United Kingdom £61,000.00-£68,000.00 5 hours ago

Harlow, England, United Kingdom 4 days ago