Sr. Manager, Research

About Pendulum

Pendulum® is leading a revolution that is occurring around the world to improve physical and mental health by first understanding, then restoring and enhancing the human microbiome. 

Studies have shown that our microbiome (the bacterial communities in and on our bodies) is linked to everything from metabolism and diabetes to longevity, weight loss, healthy immune systems, cancer prevention, feelings of well-being, inflammatory bowel disease, and even healthy skin.  We have just scratched the surface of understanding the impact that our microbiome has on our lives. During early life, we develop a diverse and balanced microbiome that plays a critical role in shaping our long-term health.  Over our lives, a combination of diet, lifestyle, antibiotics, and aging can decrease the effectiveness of our microbiome.

Pendulum recognized the enormous impact they could have on people’s lives if they were able to address the imbalances in the microbiome. To accomplish this, Pendulum created proprietary probiotic pipelines and a unique discovery platform to identify key, novel bacterial strains and the prebiotics that feed them. The company has also built and developed the world’s first manufacturing technology to produce bacteria in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment at scale.

The medical probiotics that Pendulum has formulated have transformed the consumer probiotics market into a new category of therapeutic offerings that deliver the power and efficacy of pharmaceuticals with the safety and accessibility of a natural probiotic. Due to Pendulum’s explosive revenue and customer growth over the last two years, the company earned a spot on Forbes Magazine’s exclusive “The Next Billion Dollar Startups” list.

Please continue reading if you want to improve people's lives globally and love working in a cross-functional, collaborative, inspiring environment.

We are a highly collaborative team of scientists, engineers, physicians, marketers, and analysts interested in improving human health using the latest research from diverse fields, such as microbiology, molecular biology, high-throughput genomics, distributed computing, pharmaceutical development, and nutrition. We firmly believe in cultivating a transparent team culture where effective communication drives both individual and collective success.

Position Summary

The Sr. Manager, Discovery will lead early-stage research and discovery efforts to fuel Pendulum’s innovation pipeline. This role requires a strong scientific background (PhD) coupled with experience managing research teams and collaborating across disciplines. The successful candidate will guide discovery strategy, oversee assay development, drive pre-clinical research, and collaborate with cross-functional partners to support product claims, safety, early product and process development, and regulatory readiness.

At Pendulum, you’ll have the unique opportunity to transform breakthrough microbiome science into products that can change lives on a global scale. If you’re passionate about leading a team at the intersection of discovery science, innovation, and human health, this role offers the chance to make a lasting impact. You’ll thrive in our fast-paced startup environment, where agility, creativity, and collaboration are essential to success.

What You'll Do:

• Team Leadership & Research Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of discovery scientists.

• Drive a culture of innovation, collaboration, and scientific excellence.

• Early-Stage Research

• Oversee discovery research for new product concepts in collaboration with Marketing and Regulatory to align science with market needs and compliance requirements.

• Develop and validate in-vitro assays to support product characterization and claims.

• Lead pre-clinical studies in collaboration with the Clinical team to evaluate efficacy and support development decisions.

• Guide early safety and toxicology studies in collaboration with Regulatory to enable GRAS dossier submissions and the like.

• External Collaboration & Publications

• Build and foster collaborations with key opinion leaders (KOLs) in academia and clinical research to advance Pendulum’s scientific credibility and innovation pipeline.

• Drive publication strategy to ensure Pendulum’s science is shared in peer-reviewed journals and at key scientific conferences.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Marketing, Regulatory, and Clinical teams to generate scientific data that supports claims and product positioning.

• Partner with external collaborators, academic institutions, and CROs as needed.

What You’ll Need:

• Ph.D. in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or a related field.

• 7+ years of experience in biotech, pharma, supplements, or related industry, with 2+ years in a team leadership role.

• Proven track record in early-stage discovery, assay development, and pre-clinical research.

• Strong understanding of safety/toxicology principles and regulatory considerations for consumer health or therapeutic products.

• Expertise in microbiome science with a deep understanding of its role in human health.

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across scientific, clinical, regulatory, and commercial teams

Salary & Benefit

• $160,000 - $180,000
• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Commuter Benefits
• Life & STD Insurance
• Company match on 401 (k)
• Flexible Time Off (FTO)
• Equity