Head of Partnership - Science & Innovation (m/w/d)

Permanent employee, Full-time · Hamburg

Your mission

We are looking for a passionate and strategic Head of Partnerships who can bridge science and business. In this pivotal role, you will bring our biotechnological innovations and scientific breakthroughs to market — identifying, building, and managing partnerships with industry leaders, research institutions, and innovation-driven organizations. You will work cross-functionally to translate scientific capabilities into commercial opportunities across multiple industries and applications, creating meaningful real-world impact.

Your Role

Market Intelligence

Track industry trends, competitor activities, and emerging technologies in biotech, foodtech, or materials
Identify new verticals or application areas with high potential for our technologies

Commercial Strategy & Deal Structuring

Drive the creation of partnership models, project frameworks, and commercial terms
Develop go-to-market strategies for new technologies and applications
Create to business cases and partner proposals

Science-to-Market Translation

Understand the scientific and technical foundation of our innovations and explain them clearly to external audiences
Work with the science teams to identify technologies with strong commercial potential
Translate complex scientific data into value propositions for partners

Partnership Development

Identify and evaluate potential collaboration or commercial partnership opportunities (B2B, co-development, licensing, etc.)
Lead strategic negotiation with executives at potential partners on eye-level and drive home successful deals for Infinite Roots.

Partner Management

Build and manage relationships with partners in the food, biotech, ingredient, or materials industries
Be the end-to-end owner of the partnerships and ensure ongoing alignment, satisfaction, and value creation across the portfolio of partnerships

Your profile

Your Profile

Strong scientific or technical background (e.g., M.Sc. or PhD in Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Food Science, Bioengineering, or related field)
6-8 years of professional experience in business development, strategic partnerships or innovation commercialization — ideally in biotech, bio-based materials, or related
Proven ability to translate complex science into commercial strategy — you understand both the science and the market
Solid experience in structuring and negotiating commercial agreements, managing partner pipelines, and driving deal execution
A commercial mindset with a strong understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and value creation — ideally with exposure to sales or licensing processes
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, both internally and externally
Entrepreneurial mindset and excitement for bringing new technologies to market
Fluency in English; German is a plus

Our Benefits:

Work for one of the global innovation leaders in the food industry
Dynamic and diverse mission-driven team from more than 25 different countries
A fast growing company with exceptional opportunities for personal development
Flat hierarchies and short decision paths
Flexible working hours with entitled Home Office days in an innovative and agile working environment
Gym Membership, language classes or an attractive alternative from our benefit program
Great team events such as “lunch & learn”, “Demo Day”, cultural celebrations and food tastings
Drinks, cereal bar and fresh fruit at the office, our home products tasting session for new employees
Lastly, join us in the journey as we change the food system as we know it!

We are an equal opportunity employer and 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.

Apply for this job

About us

Infinite Roots® is a biotech company based in Hamburg, Germany. We tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges through products we develop by leveraging the fungal kingdom. Our team of 60+ people from 25 nationalities — 55% women and 10 PhDs strong — shares one mission: to unlock the full potential of fungi for a more sustainable future.

Apply for this job

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you for your interest in Mushlabs GmbH. Please fill out the following short form. Should you have difficulties with the upload of your data, please send an email to hello@infiniteroots.com.