Alexander Sitek, PMP
Mesa,AZ
Summary
Experienced Development Engineer Process Engineer Research Engineer Project Engineer Project Manager Focused Project Manager adept at planning, directing and maintaining continuous operations in various departments. Experienced in directing manufacturing employees and keeping efficient production in accordance with quality standards. Applying creative and analytical approach to operations for continuous process improvement. Skilled at identifying or anticipating problems and providing solutions. Excels through mentoring, training and empowering team to excel in performance.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Project Manager, Buildings
STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES, INC.
01.2023 - Current
- Brought on to augment the project management teams experience in the food and beverage market, as well as biotechnology
- Worked to develop client relationships and bring new opportunities into the business center outside of the traditional work executed
- Worked as a project manager securing subcontracts where Stantec was the prime contractor
- Assisted Business Development in writing peer reviewed proposals
- Managed and executed smaller electrical projects to facilitate resources for larger projects
- Managed the client development for a 1.7 MM USD fee retrofit and process project in the dairy industry.
- Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.
Process Engineer 4, NextGen
BLACK AND VEATCH
09.2021 - 01.2023
- Joined the NextGen Ag team to help grow a new business area for clients in food and beverage, fermentation, vertical agriculture, aquaculture, and plant based food manufacturing
- Had the opportunity to work as a pure process engineer on FEL1 through detailed design projects, as well as assisting the business development team in drafting new proposals and initial client contacts
- Given the smaller team within a larger organization project management and engineering management skills have often been utilized
- Worked as a process engineering lead on a novel cultured meat plant that implemented novel downstream processing
- Managed integration and management between several vendors, the Black & Veatch team, and the client, for a large automated vertical farm facility
- Acted as a subject matter expert in the areas of algal production
- Experience working on projects from FEL1 to construction.
Director of Product and Process Scaleup
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2021 - 09.2021
- Continuing along the previous focus on fermentation and product development, promoted to integrate the engineering and facilities group to streamline support for scaling new processes or carrying out new installations for novel product lines
- Developed successful dry fertilizer blend-able microalgal product
- Scaled new agriculture strain from 10L to 50,000L at toll manufacturer
- Oversaw a redesign of fermentation data tracking to automatically close balance and assist in parameterization for targeted optimization
- Implemented Kanban style inventory management in facilities to manage critical spares for production equipment.
Senior Manager of Process Innovation
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2019 - 01.2021
- In addition to leading the fermentation team, promoted to manage the downstream processing and product development teams as well
- The team provides downstream scaleup services across the organization from proof of concept to large scale processing of new product families/tech transfer to tolling partners
- Working on products in the agriculture space as well as human specialty oils and food supplements
- Developed successful first- and second-generation microalgae derived seed treatment product
- Successfully oversaw project to produce and process material for novel specialty oil toxicology tests
- Developed and validated second-generation agriculture strain and transferred to contract manufacturer
- Managed and coordinated multiple department resources in terms of budgets, supplies, and personnel
- Oversaw the stability program to ensure high confidence in shelf-life determination of prospective products.
Development Engineer III
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Promoted to lead the development and implementation of a non-axenic bubble column fermentation process for production of a heterotrophic lipid rich algal strain
- Managed a team of engineers and biologists that operate classical Rushton agitated fermenters, non-axenic bubble column fermenters, and outdoor mixotrophic systems
- Developing classical fermentation process for algal strain and scaling up to an international pilot facility for process validation
- Designed a production scale sparger for a bubble column reactor that improved oxygen transfer capability of reactor while still using existing infrastructure
- Designed and carried out experiments leading to pending intellectual property with bio prospected algal strain
- Took over complete management of weekend coverage for the R&D department
- Took over functional management of fermentation and increased experimental output by 25% while maintaining previous direct reports.
Development Engineer II
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2015 - 01.2016
- Promoted to lead multidisciplinary team from across company to improve all aspects of production of biomass for agricultural product
- Managed a small team of direct reports with a research and development focus
- Continued to improve safety culture through work on safety committee
- Led project team that developed and implemented improvements to production process that increased output by 100%
- Improved continuity of R&D experiments by implementing lean principles with weekend shift associates that led to a 30% decrease in missed or incorrect sampling
Development Engineer I
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2010 - 01.2015
- Designed and built experimental test stands for the Research and Development department
- Analyzed data and compiled reports from experiments
- Transferred technology and new methods to the production group, while providing support
- Drafted new SOPs for test stands and seed systems
- R&D representative to companywide safety committee
- Supervised junior technician to assist with experiments and data collection
- Led documentation subgroup on new mixotrophic reactor design and implementation team
- Worked on team that designed, built, ran novel tubular bioreactor
- Trained associates at Arizona State University on Heliae reactor technology that they purchased and provided technical support to Arizona State University
- Designed and carried out light and environmental condition simulations to inform stage gate decision to move forward with joint venture
- Worked on biological due diligence team for a nutraceutical joint venture in Saga City, Japan to produce astaxanthin
- While in Saga City, Japan trained technicians from joint venture company on laboratory procedures and algal culturing techniques.
Laboratory Lead
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2010 - 01.2010
- Ensured that data was collected and analyzed in a timely manner
- Trained laboratory technicians in daily test protocols
- Maintained supplies and laboratory stores
- Analyzed algal lipid content by solvent extraction and column chromatography.
Research Intern
Capstone Therapeutics
01.2008 - 01.2008
Education
BS in Bioengineering -
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ01.2009
Skills
- MS Office
- JMP statistical Software
- Bentley ProjectWise
- Intelligen SuperPro (Process Modeling)
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Visio
- BioCommand (Bioprocess SCADA software)
- Labview
- SolidWorks
- Revu Blubeam
- MATLAB
- Project Management
- Project Planning
- Client Relations
- Stakeholder Communications
Certification
Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute, 3415403, 2023
Patents
- Modular tubular bioreactor US10053659B2, Systems and methods for contaminant removal from a microalgae culture US8617891B2,
- Chlorella compositions and methods of use thereof to enhance plant growth US11518721,
- Methods of culturing Aurantiochytrium using acetate as an organic carbon source WO2018064036A1,
- Single-stage fermentation methods of culturing microorganisms WO2018200837A1
Coursework Training
- Microbial Fermentation, University of California
- JMP: Anova and Regression, SAS
- JMP: Data Exploration, SAS
- SolidWorks Professional Training Course, DS training
- Various graduate level systems engineering courses at the University of Arizona (12hrs)
Timeline
Project Manager, Buildings
STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES, INC.
01.2023 - Current
Process Engineer 4, NextGen
BLACK AND VEATCH
09.2021 - 01.2023
Director of Product and Process Scaleup
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2021 - 09.2021
Senior Manager of Process Innovation
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2019 - 01.2021
Development Engineer III
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2016 - 01.2019
Development Engineer II
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2015 - 01.2016
Development Engineer I
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2010 - 01.2015
Laboratory Lead
HELIAE DEVELOPMENT
01.2010 - 01.2010
Research Intern
Capstone Therapeutics
01.2008 - 01.2008
BS in Bioengineering -
Arizona State University