Senior Process Engineer

Job Title: Senior Engineer, Process

Department: Process Engineering

Reports To: Director of Process Engineering

Location: Brighton, CO

Position Summary:

Zero Carbon Systems, Inc. is seeking a Process Engineer to join a fast growing, flexible team that’s trying to address the most pressing issue of our time – climate change. This position will report to our Director of Process Engineering to apply engineering insights and process models to build a demo plant for a novel process for the Direct Air Capture of CO₂. The demo will be leveraged to refine the design for the scale-up to our full-scale facility which will follow soon thereafter.

Objectives & Responsibilities

- Support the translation of our conceptual design for a novel process into a working demo facility.

- Partner with colleagues to convert modeling insights into implementable projects including equipment specification, control philosophies, installation scope of work documents, and commissioning plans. Partner with colleagues to improve yield and scaleup synthetic chemistry and purification being developed in our research labs.

- Leverage and create simplified models in Excel / VBA or Python.

- Coordinate with operators and cross-disciplinary engineers (mechanical, electrical, automation) to commission new test rigs.

- Design experiments and coordinate runs with operators on ZCS benchtop / pilot equipment to further build out process capabilities / repeatability.

- Apply statistical analysis tools to aid in the analysis of experimental data. Efficiently summarize experimental/operational data into project write-ups and presentations such that the generated correlations can be effectively translated into ZCS process and techno economic models.

- Troubleshoot process, equipment, and data malfunctions and identify the root cause of disruptions. Identify, design, and implement solutions to boost process, equipment, and data generation reliability.

- Engage in Design Risk Assessments including, where appropriate, HAZID and HAZOP analyses.

- Manage relationships with relevant subcontractors and equipment suppliers.

- Evaluate pilot / production equipment’s overall performance, reliability, and safety.

- Alter and modify design to meet requirements and to eliminate malfunctions.

- Prepare engineering reports and documentation; periodically present findings to leadership.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Experience

Required Experience

- Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Chemical, Process or Mechanical Engineering with 5-10 years’ experience.

- Strong competency in the field of chemical engineering process operations involving heat transfer, mass transfer, fluid/gas flow, and separation techniques.

- Broad experience in new process design / conceptualization in the chemical, biological or agrifood space.

- Experience developing standard operating procedures, process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, energy and material balances, utility requirements, and control logic for chemical manufacturing systems.

- Previous experience working in a process engineering capacity within a chemical, biotech, agrifood, or oil/gas plant.

- An inquisitive nature to drill down into details and apply logical reasoning to problems to develop solutions.

- Ability to communicate technical knowledge in a clear and understandable manner to cross-functional audiences.

- Ability to work on cross functional teams.

Preferred Experience

- Previous startup experience and comfort in a fast-paced environment.

- Ability to leverage Excel / VBA, Python or similar to solve engineering problems.

- Experience with EPC management.

- Experience in data analysis / statistics and tools such as JMP/Minitab.

- Experience with scrubbing / distillation, heat pumps, gas compression and/or vacuum systems.

- Experience with process safety reviews and safe design techniques.

- Professional Engineering license

Physical Requirements

- Must be able to lift/carry equipment as necessary