Director of Product - Protein Science

Nuclera is a venture-backed biotech company headquartered in Cambridge, UK with significant operations in Boston, USA. Nuclera’s mission is to accelerate discovery by enabling rapid, easy access to functional proteins essential for drug discovery research. Our eProtein Discovery™ benchtop system accelerates protein expression and purification optimization in research labs.

Nuclera is seeking a dynamic, high-energy, and results-driven Director of Product to champion the launch and expansion of a groundbreaking product in the life sciences market. This is a unique opportunity to join a trailblazing biotech company that is revolutionizing rapid protein expression and purification workflows, where innovation moves at an extraordinary pace.  

Unlike overseeing a mature product portfolio with incremental updates, the Director of Product must provide strategic leadership and work hand-in-glove with our target customers—guiding the rapid evolution of our eProtein Discovery platform to ensure it’s fit-for-purpose and drives strong market adoption.

At the heart of Nuclera’s eProtein Discovery System lies a sophisticated integration of instrumentation, digital microfluidics cartridges, customized reagents, and software—a combination that delivers efficiency and automation to our customers while bringing uniqueness, complexity, and excitement to the Product team.

The ideal Director of Product thrives in a high-velocity, change-intensive environment, acting as a strategic liaison between our customers, the commercial organization, and internal R&D.

The ideal candidate must be a seasoned protein scientist with proven commercial experience, deeply versed in the pain points, challenges, and opportunities of the protein landscape—and adept at harnessing robust voice-of-customer insights to drive the market success of our eProtein Discovery System.

Key responsibilities: 

• Strategic Product Leadership:
  Own the end-to-end product lifecycle—from vision and roadmapping through launch and scale—ensuring alignment with Nuclera’s strategic objectives, revenue goals, and evolving market demands. Mentor and oversee product managers to drive consistent, high-impact delivery.
• Market Intelligence & Customer Insight:
  Lead rigorous, ongoing market research and VOC programs (surveys, in-depth interviews, advisory boards) to surface unmet needs in protein science. Translate these insights into prioritized feature investments and clear business cases that inform the product roadmap.
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Stakeholder Management:
  Serve as the senior liaison between external stakeholders (customers, KOLs, sales, marketing) and internal teams (R&D, operations, quality, finance). Champion product requirements, secure executive buy-in, and ensure transparent communication on priorities, timelines, and metrics.
• Organizational Agility & Change Management:
  Navigate the complexities of a high-velocity startup environment—spotting risks early, realigning resources on shifting priorities, and driving continuous improvement in processes (e.g., agile ceremonies, OKRs, KPIs) to maintain momentum and resilience.

Additional responsibilities:

• Champion the Voice of the Customer at the Executive Level: Advocate relentlessly for customer and commercial-team needs across instrumentation, microfluidics, software, and reagents—ensuring these insights drive your strategic roadmap and influence executive decisions.
• Elevate Strategic User Experience: Set the bar for our instruments and cloud-based software, defining UX standards and guiding  teams to deliver intuitive, delightful experiences that boost adoption and retention.
• Drive Innovation & Commercial Viability: Lead high-impact product initiatives by combining primary VOC programs with secondary market research—translating deep customer understanding into prioritized feature sets, robust business cases, and clear financial models.
• Develop Strategic Plans & Business Cases: Architect and own comprehensive business plans, go-to-market strategies, and detailed user requirements for new product launches, aligning cross-functional teams and securing executive buy-in.
• Monitor Competitive & Industry Trends: Proactively scan the drug discovery, protein, CFPS, and broader life-science tools landscape—delivering actionable insights and trend analyses to keep Nuclera ahead of the curve.
• Cultivate Strategic Partnerships with Thought Leaders: Build and steer high-impact relationships with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), academic and industry collaborators, and channel partners—co-developing new applications and pioneering use cases that expand and differentiate our eProtein Discovery platform.

Essential:

• 10+ years of life science/biotech product management experience, including 2+ years in a leadership role
• Demonstrated leadership: Proven track record building and mentoring product teams, setting strategy, and driving cross-functional execution
• Advanced life-science degree (PhD preferred; MSc/MBA acceptable with equivalent experience) with significant industry experience
• Deep protein expertise: Hands-on experience in protein expression and purification workflows, with a strong grasp of CFPS and related technologies
• Commercial acumen: History of translating scientific insights into compelling product offerings that achieve strong market adoption and revenue targets
• Influence & communication: Exceptional ability to align stakeholders—from bench scientists to executives—through clear, persuasive storytelling of complex scientific concepts
• Voice-of-Customer mastery: Skilled at designing and running VOC programs, synthesizing feedback into prioritized roadmaps and robust business cases
  
  

Desirable:

• Experience in pharma/biopharma environments, particularly launching protein-focused tools or reagents
• Background in managing both scientific software and hardware instrumentation
• Prior work in high-growth startup settings

What we offer:

In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Company bonus scheme of 5%
• Life insurance
• Private medical insurance and cash plan
• 25 days' annual leave + Bank Holidays
• Enhanced employer's pension contributions
• Enhanced maternity and paternity Leave
• Investment in professional development and learning
• Access to amenities on Vision Park and in Histon
• Fresh fruit, tea, coffee, and snacks in the office
• Organised team events