Process Development & Pilot Plant Lead – Botanical Extraction

Location: Hyderabad / Telangana

Experience: 8–15 years preferred

Qualification: B.Tech / M.Tech – Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering,

Biotechnology, Food Technology, Pharmaceutical Technology or related discipline

Reporting To: Senior Management / Project & Technical Leadership

ABOUT THE ROLE

Ariv Biosciences is developing a standardized botanical extraction process for commercial production. We are looking for an experienced Process Development &

Pilot Plant Lead who can take our laboratory process and establish a robust,

reproducible pilot-scale process that can ultimately be transferred to commercial manufacturing.

This is a hands-on role at the intersection of process science, engineering and manufacturing. The objective is not simply to run the pilot plant, but to develop and prove the process that the commercial plant will eventually run.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead laboratory-to-pilot scale-up of the botanical extraction process.

Design and execute structured pilot trials and establish reproducible operating windows.

Develop and optimize raw-material preparation, extraction, filtration/clarification,

solvent recovery, concentration, drying and standardization steps.

Identify critical process parameters (CPPs) and critical quality attributes (CQAs).

Develop complete mass balances and track extraction yield, active recovery, solvent recovery and material losses.

Interpret analytical data and connect process parameters to extract quality and marker-compound recovery.

Use Design of Experiments (DoE) and structured experimentation where appropriate.

Operate and supervise pilot equipment including extraction vessels, filtration systems, concentration/evaporation and drying systems.

Troubleshoot low yield, poor active recovery, filtration issues, foaming, emulsions,

drying problems, colour changes, thermal degradation and batch variability.

Work with equipment vendors and engineering consultants to ensure commercial equipment can reproduce the pilot process.

Prepare process flow diagrams, batch protocols, SOPs, sampling plans, process specifications and technology-transfer documentation.

Build and maintain a robust process knowledge base so critical know-how is documented within Ariv and not dependent on one individual.

Lead and train pilot-plant operators/technicians and establish strong documentation,

safety and valuable manufacturing practices.

Support commercial plant design, equipment sizing, utility requirements and process economics from the pilot data.

Work closely with QC/analytical, raw-material sourcing,



engineering, procurement and senior management teams.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

8–15 years of relevant hands-on experience, with meaningful process-development and scale-up exposure.

Strong experience in botanical extraction, herbal extracts, phytochemicals,

nutraceutical ingredients, natural products or a closely related process industry.

Demonstrated experience scaling a process from laboratory to pilot and/or pilot to commercial scale.

Strong understanding of solid-liquid extraction and preferably hydroalcoholic and aqueous extraction systems.

Experience with solvent recovery, vacuum concentration/evaporation and drying technologies is highly desirable.

Strong understanding of mass balance, heat/mass transfer, process yield and scale-

up principles.

Experience working with analytical teams and marker-based process optimization.

DoE/process optimization experience is strongly preferred.

Hands-on experience with equipment selection, scale-up and vendor coordination.

Strong troubleshooting and root-cause-analysis capability.

Excellent documentation and technical-reporting discipline.

Comfortable working on the plant floor as well as with technical documentation and data.

High ownership, scientific curiosity, integrity and an entrepreneurial problem-solving mindset.

MUST-HAVE EXPERIENCE

Laboratory-to-pilot or pilot-to-commercial scale-up

Botanical/herbal/natural-product extraction or closely related extraction process

Solid-liquid extraction

Mass balance and yield optimization

Process troubleshooting

Pilot plant operation

Equipment scale-up and vendor interaction

Process SOPs and batch documentation

Analytical-data interpretation

Technology transfer / commercial readiness

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

Hydroalcoholic extraction

Aqueous extraction

Solvent recovery

Vacuum concentration

Vacuum drying and/or spray drying

DoE / statistical process optimization

Phytochemical or nutraceutical manufacturing

GMP / food or pharmaceutical manufacturing environments

Process validation and technology transfer

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE The successful candidate will take Ariv from a laboratory method to a documented,

reproducible and commercially relevant pilot process.

Within the role, we expect to establish:





- Reproducible pilot batches
- Defined operating windows
- Reliable mass balances and yield data
- Consistent marker/active recovery
- Identified scale-up risks
- Optimized process economics
- Commercial equipment/process specifications
- Complete SOPs and batch documentation
- A clear technology-transfer package for the commercial plant

WHAT WE DO NOT WANT A routine production supervisor with no process-development experience.

A purely academic researcher who has never worked hands-on with scale-up.

A laboratory scientist who has never translated a process to pilot scale.

Someone who relies primarily on equipment vendors to make process decisions.

Someone uncomfortable troubleshooting equipment and process problems.

Someone who cannot connect analytical results with process decisions.

INTERVIEW / SCREENING BRIEF FOR HR

Ask candidates to describe one real process they personally scaled from lab to pilot or pilot to commercial.

Ask for the starting scale, pilot scale, final commercial scale, major challenges,

experiments performed and how reproducibility was demonstrated.

Ask how they would investigate a pilot batch that gives significantly lower extraction yield than the laboratory process.

Ask how they would determine which parameters are critical during scale-up.

Ask what evidence they would require before recommending commercial-scale transfer.

Request examples of process troubleshooting and equipment/vendor decisions they personally handled.

SEARCH TITLES FOR HR

Process Development Manager – Botanical Extraction

Process Development Scientist – Herbal Extracts

Senior Process Development Engineer

Botanical Extraction Process Engineer

Herbal Extraction Manager

Natural Products Process Development

Phytochemical Process Development

Nutraceutical Process Development Manager

Process Scale-Up Manager

Pilot Plant Manager – Nutraceuticals

Extraction Process Engineer

Process Technology Manager

Technology Transfer Manager – Botanicals

TARGET TALENT POOLS

Botanical extract manufacturers

Herbal extract companies

Nutraceutical ingredient manufacturers

Ayurvedic extract manufacturers

Pharmaceutical botanical divisions

Natural ingredient companies

Food ingredient companies with extraction processes

Contract manufacturing organizations with relevant extraction/process experience

Specialty process industries with strong extraction and scale-up expertise

HIRING PRINCIPLE: We are looking for a Scientist + Process Engineer + Plant

Operator + Problem Solver — not simply a pilot-plant manager.

📌 Process Development & Pilot Plant Lead – Botanical Extraction (Hyderabad)
🏢 Alliance Recruitment Agency
📍 Hyderabad