WE’RE CURRENTLY HIRING…
Actually, we’re always looking for people, but we don’t always have time to update our vacancies list, because we want to become the biggest biotech company in the world, so we’re very busy.
DO YOU WANT TO WORK IN RESEARCH?
We primarily develop cultured meat. Or more precisely, the technology for its production. We make cells do what we need them to do – by adjusting the culture conditions, or by affecting their genetics and epigenetics. We develop culture media for different cell lines, and work on their reuse. We develop effective technology for the production of signal molecules using recombinant microorganisms or plants, and we improve the properties of signal molecules by modifying them. We research the best hardware and software for both cell and microorganism cultivation. We’re developing our own lab software, where we’ve been storing all our experiments for years. We analyse our own data, data from scientific studies and databases, work on the prediction of biological processes that interest us, and use machine learning. We also try to apply our knowledge from biology and chemistry in medical research. We follow the latest news in science, in the market, and in the field of regulation and legislation. We address the safety of production and products that we manufacture now, and that we will manufacture in the future. We try to communicate not only with customers, but with all types of stakeholders.
DO YOU WANT TO WORK SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN IN RESEARCH??
If your field is any other area that could be useful for us, read on, then eventually decide if you want to join us, and contact us.
WRITE YOUR PhD AT BENE MEAT TECHNOLOGIES
If you’re interested in writing your PhD. on a topic related to our research, it’s possible with us. Read the text below, then make a decision and contact us.
WHY DO WE DO THIS?
We’ve already achieved several firsts on the world stage, such as being the first registered producer of cultured meat for pets, and we intend to achieve much more. Our work is meaningful to us, whether it’s thanks to the fact that we have space for our own research, we can save many animals, or that we contribute to reducing the ecological impact on our planet. Together, we can change the world, and try to make it a better place.
If you want to join our team and do something that makes sense to you, read this entire section carefully. You’ll learn how things work at BMT, and you can get a picture of how we work. Then you can decide if it’s something for you. If not, that’s okay, not everything is for everyone, and maybe we’ll meet another time. If after reading it you feel that Bene Meat is exactly what you’re looking for, send us your CV and a cover letter telling us why you want to work for us, and how you can contribute. Motivation is not an empty concept for us, we’re looking for people for whom working with us will make sense. Therefore, a motivational letter is a necessary condition for us to deal with your application.
HOW THINGS WORK AT BENE MEAT TECHNOLOGIES
We value time. Both yours and ours. Therefore, we’ve put together the following principles by which we strive to work, and which we believe should be shared by all BMT employees.
Everyone is different
We all come from different places, we have different customs and traditions, we were brought up and educated differently. All of this affects our approach to our work and colleagues. In order to avoid the fact that after some time, one of the colleagues discovers that the work style and atmosphere in the company don’t suit him/her, it’s better to clarify things right at the beginning.
Internal motivation
We don’t have the time and capacity to stand behind someone and check them. Internal motivation is a prerequisite for working at BMT. No, it’s not just a phrase and an empty concept. We really expect you to be a mature person who knows what they’re doing, and why (and a little “how” too). Someone who doesn’t need to be led by the hand, motivated with plans and rewards, or various tricks. The fact that we sometimes go out together for dinner or a beer will be because we enjoy being together, not because of team building, which aims to force at least some interest in work from the employees, as is customary elsewhere.
We proceed in the spirit of Baťa’s philosophy:
if you don’t know how to do something – we’ll teach you;
if you don’t understand something – we’ll explain;
if you can’t do something – we’ll help you;
if you don’t want to do something – we’ll go our separate ways.
Discussion as a foundation
This means a lot of worries, gaining experience, discovering the mechanisms of work. Almost nothing is predetermined, and change is a permanent state. That’s why we discuss things. Calmly go round and round, so as not to succumb to “tunnel vision” when we make bad decisions at the beginning (yes, we make those too).
The boss is always right
We don’t have a fixed hierarchical structure. The boss is the one who is right (there are a minimum of things the company “decides” authoritatively), and we hope we are all fair-minded enough to recognize it. Authority is gained here by people with results, ideas, and work commitment, not by virtue of being appointed to a position. If you need a feature (perhaps on a business card) e.g. for the sake of presentation, or your inner feeling, say to yourself, we’ll provide you with the appropriate paper, but for us, you’ll have value and authority according to what is shown by your work and accomplishments.
Change and adapt, instead of idly complaining
If you don’t like something, or something seems wrong, if you have a suggestion to improve something, say so. Say it (at an appropriate time, unless it’s urgent), and you certainly won’t be a curmudgeon and eternally dissatisfied, but we’ll respect you. We prefer those who always want to improve something, rather than those who only bring their hands to work and don’t care if things around them don’t work, or work badly. Those who are “just doing their job” are everywhere, like flies, as well as companies that only want reliable, trained monkeys. We don’t want to be like that, and we hope that such people won’t feel comfortable with us.
We stand up for those who change things, instead of complaining. If something bothers you – change it. If you’re right, you’re the boss.
Be better than others
We work on the research and development of cultured meat technology (and everything related to it that can be useful). There are dozens of similar start-ups around the world, many of them are further along than us, and they have a significantly better financial background… and we still want to beat them. So, we have to be better. We know little about them (we try to find out what we can, and learn), we know that we must have better people, and we must have a better system of work than they (we assume) have. Because we don’t have more money or time than they do. Be aware of it all the time – it’s up to you. You have to be better than the Americans, the Dutch, the Spanish, the Turkish, the Indians, the Chinese.
We tell each other straight
The truth is always the fastest. That’s why we play it straight. If someone doesn’t like something, they say so. There’s nothing personal about it, we’re concerned with the cause, the best possible joint work. We assume that everyone is doing what they can. This is the basic premise from which we operate, and that is how we look at everyone around us.
We make mistakes
We all make (but don’t repeat!) mistakes, it’s part of the process of knowledge and learning, and they move us forward. We identify mistakes, admit them, and tell others about them (because we work as a team). If someone makes a mistake, he/she doesn’t reveal the mistake himself/herself, and doesn’t draw attention to it, he/she is ashamed, because someone else had to point out his error. He/she is grateful to the person who pointed out the mistake, because they did the work for him/her, and helped him/her move on. We propose system measures to predict and prevent errors.
However, greed, ignorance, and lack of respect for other people’s property is not a mistake, but a character flaw. We have no place for people like that.
Efforts to continuously improve efficiency
We try to improve everything, and constantly pay attention to efficiency. Here we remember the Pareto principle – 80% of the result is usually given by 20% of the work effort (compare the effort in the 100m run that improves your time from 20 to 12 seconds, with the effort that moves you from 12 to 10 seconds). It’s the task of every single one of us to constantly search for the right level of efficiency, to choose priorities, and to focus on them. Knowing how the processes associated with cultured meat work is a means, not an end, of our endeavours. The goal is to be able to produce cultured meat and everything related to its production (and which makes sense to produce yourself). Cheap, high quality, and in bulk. And offer this knowledge to customers in the form of “turnkey” technology. We don’t carry out basic research in which there is enough time for everything, and no one cares much about the result other than the one on paper. Paper can handle anything. If we fail, we have failed. When we fail, you fail too. But if we succeed, we have a chance to be the absolute top, and leader in an emerging field that can fundamentally affect humanity. And it’s not just a phrase – to feed billions of people. Not many people in the world get such a chance, but we at BMT are among those lucky few.
Success means usefulness
Although the education system probably stuffed Ohm’s law, flagellates, sentence analysis and other “necessary things” into your head, it almost certainly forgot to explain to you what the essence of success is. The essence of success is usefulness. Being useful to someone else makes someone valuable. As a company, we want to be useful. For billions of people, for animals, for nature… It’s a major challenge, and if we succeed, it will be big. And if BMT grows to the top, you will grow with it. In all respects.
Our approach to things
There are only two categories of things – yours, and someone else’s. It doesn’t matter who the “someone else’s” thing belongs to. We treat other people’s things as if they were someone else’s – with the utmost care, and in a way that the owner likes.
We are in a hurry to succeed
We have an awful lot to figure out and develop, so we’re in a hurry. “What you can do tomorrow, do today” applies to us. This increases your benefit to BMT and to humanity.
Financial prudence
We’re all constantly balancing and trying to increase the yield/cost ratio as much as possible. We consider BMT as our company. As a company, we want to make money, rather than save, but we’re very careful about costs, because in the end, the customer will have to pay for them in how much he will pay for the product. And the more expensive our product is, the less likely we are to really change the world with it.
We assume that whoever wants to buy something has made a meaningful analysis, and has come to the conclusion (perhaps after a discussion with others) that it’s necessary, and can bring a benefit that will move us towards our goal. We don’t have the capacity, nor do we want, to control everything. Here too, to quote Henry Ford: “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking”.
Mutual kindness and support
We are kind to each other, and we treat each other with courtesy. If someone is slowing things down, it’s not their fault, they just can’t do it (yet), maybe they’ll catch on later. If it doesn’t work out for him/her in the long term, it will be resolved in time, and if you’re part of the team, for now focus on those who are successful, and with whom you get along.
We must enjoy the work
Both the work and the people around us must be fun. Otherwise, we won’t give it our all. And it’s not so much about time as it is about the mental capacity that we devote to it. There will always be things to improve, if we want to be the best in the world. The evolutionary Red Queen Principle still applies. You can always contribute something, even a small thing, to make us truly the best in the world. And the examples go on. Always keep that in mind.
Awareness as a foundation
One of the basic principles upon which our research and development must be built is awareness. About everything. If you don’t know something – ask. If it’s possible to systematically improve everyone’s information – let’s look together for a system that will ensure this.
Minimalizing bureaucracy
A necessary degree of “bureaucracy” also goes hand in hand with systematic work. We don’t want to turn work into a typical office environment, but on the other hand, the functioning of a larger than a small collective requires a certain degree of organization. Find out with others how to minimize it to ensure the maximum efficiency of activities.
We appreciate the fact that we have so many people interested in working with us. That’s why we try to explain to potential candidates in as much detail as possible how we operate. We want everyone to be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to be a part of our team. We see this as a fair approach to our applicants, and a form of pre-selection.
If, after reading the above, you found that you are looking for us as much as we are looking for you, please send your CV and cover letter to: jobs@benemeat.com
media@benemeat.com