About us:

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love.

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood.

UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.

About this job:

Our Food Production Operators will support Food Manufacturing efforts at the company’s initial production facility, EPIC, in Emeryville, CA. This role will report to the Food Manufacturing Manager. Food Production Operators will carry out the daily tasks related to food manufacturing, including weighing, mixing, forming, and finishing our first commercially available products. Operators will be working in a temperature controlled environment (38°F-45°F) with appropriate company provided PPE. Manufacturing will mirror the processes pioneered by the meat industry, without the need for animal suffering and slaughter!

Responsibilities include:

• Set-up, operate, clean, and tend to equipment that measures, mixes, blends, and forms ingredients in the manufacturing of cultivated meat products.
• Operate and maintain in proper working order, food packaging and laboratory equipment and prepare finished products for shipment to consumers.
• Monitor weights, temperatures, and critical control points in accordance with set guidelines.
• Accurate completion of Batch Records and other production related documentation.
• Learn and perform aseptic cell culture techniques, including thawing, passaging, feeding, and harvesting tissue cultivators in biosafety cabinets.
• Reagent, buffer, and fresh media preparation.
• Use Electronic Laboratory Notebook (LIMS/ERP Systems) to track ingredients and report out batch records.
• Adherence to all company Food Safety and Personal Safety guidelines (GMPs, etc.).

About you:

• Prior experience in Manufacturing, Food Production experience is a plus.
• Able to withstand working for long periods in a low temperature (38°F-45°F) environment with appropriate company provided PPE.
• Good communication and teamwork skills.
• Basic computer skills with working knowledge of Google products.
• Be willing to adapt to changes in instructions and tasks.
• Can-do attitude, full of integrity, excited to work under our Big Tent.

Who you’ll work with:

• This role will work directly with the Food Manufacturing team to accomplish daily production goals.
• Expanding team of Food Manufacturing professionals working to bring the first commercial cultivated meat approved for the sale in the United States.
• Daily interactions with FSQA, Plant Sanitation, and Warehouse teams.
• Periodic training with and support of the FR&D team as new products and recipes are trialed and rolled out.

Key Contributions in First Year:

• Train on processes and support the Food Manufacturing Manager to implement these with a growing team.
• Build trust and camaraderie with the team as day to day production activities are carried out.
• Learn and understand product attributes and movement through the plant-wide ERP system.
• Build efficiencies as processes are refined and output is increased.

Compensation Range: $21/hr - $30/hr*
*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• 3 Weeks PTO Accrued Annually
• Employee Engagement Council
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.