Talent Assistant - Commercial in Leeds

This is not a conventional Assistant role. MicroLub is looking for an ambitious, entrepreneurial Founders Assistant to work directly with our CEO and Founder at the centre of this fast-growing, investor-backed food technology business. You will act as a force multiplier: creating capacity for the CEO, connecting activity across the business and making sure priorities move from discussion to delivery. You will become an additional set of eyes and ears across MicroLub, developing an informed view of what is happening, what is at risk and where attention is needed. Alongside this broad business remit, you will take responsibility for coordinating MicroLub's developing supply chain until it grows into a standalone role. One day you might be preparing a strategic briefing or investor update; the next, researching a supplier, resolving a delivery issue or taking ownership of a business-critical project that does not sit neatly within one function.

About MicroLub: MicroLub is a University of Leeds spinout developing next-generation protein technologies that enable healthier, more nutritious and more sustainable food products without compromising the consumer experience. We are working with major food and ingredients businesses to turn world-class science into commercial impact. We are moving quickly from innovation towards commercial scale. That creates exciting opportunities, complex decisions and work that does not always arrive with a ready-made process. For the right person, this is a rare chance to learn how an ambitious technology company is built, financed, operated and scaled from close quarters.

What you will do:

• MULTIPLY THE CEO'S EFFECTIVENESS: Translate priorities and discussions into clear plans, actions, owners and deadlines. Gather and synthesise information, preparing concise briefings, reports and recommendations. Anticipate what the CEO is likely to need and ensure decisions and commitments are followed through. Challenge thinking constructively and bring forward alternative perspectives when appropriate.
• CONNECT THE BUSINESS AND MAINTAIN MOMENTUM: Maintain visibility of key projects, priorities, risks and dependencies across MicroLub. Connect activity across technical, commercial, operational and external workstreams. Identify gaps, unresolved decisions and barriers to delivery, bringing important issues forward early. Influence and coordinate action across teams without relying on formal authority.
• OWN PRIORITY PROJECTS: Take ownership of defined projects from initial scoping through to delivery. Investigate unfamiliar problems and turn incomplete information into practical recommendations. Step into important work that does not naturally sit within one function or have an established owner.
• DEVELOP AND COORDINATE THE SUPPLY CHAIN: Research and assess suppliers and external manufacturing partners. Coordinate quotations, supplier information, ordering requirements and delivery commitments. Identify shortages, delays, cost increases, quality concerns and single-source risks. Work with technical colleagues to support supplier due diligence, food-safety, quality and traceability requirements. Help build effective, scalable supply-chain processes as MicroLub moves towards commercial manufacture.

What you will bring:

• What matters most is your impact, judgement and potential, rather than whether you have followed a conventional career path.
• Evidence that you create momentum and take personal responsibility for outcomes.
• The ability to bring structure to ambiguity and make progress without detailed instructions.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking and creative problem-solving skills.
• Commercial curiosity and a genuine interest in how businesses are built and scaled.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the confidence to work with senior stakeholders.
• Learning agility: you absorb unfamiliar information quickly and apply it practically.
• Emotional intelligence, resilience, resourcefulness and a low-ego approach to teamwork.
• The judgement to know when to act independently, when to consult and when to escalate.
• Experience in a start-up, scale-up, consultancy, operations, project delivery, procurement, supply chain, food, science or technology would be useful - but no single background is essential.

Where this opportunity could lead: This role is designed to grow with both the individual and the business. As your understanding, judgement and impact develop, the remit could evolve towards a Chief of Staff or similar broader leadership position. It is an opportunity to earn increasing responsibility through the value you create.

Why join MicroLub? Work directly with the CEO and Founder and see how major business decisions are made. Gain unusually broad exposure across strategy, operations, commercial delivery, investors and supply chain. Take meaningful responsibility early and see the direct impact of your work. Help commercialise technology with the potential to improve the health and sustainability of everyday food. Join at a stage when your ideas, energy and initiative can genuinely shape how the business develops. MicroLub values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work. No recruitment agencies, please. We are managing this search directly.