Process Development Engineer I & II Job in Bedford 01730, Massachusetts US
The Process Development Engineer (I) will contribute to a range of activities related to Joule’s development of efficient, eco-friendly and economic processes for the production of photosynthetically-derived fuels. Contributions will be required across the process development/deployment spectrum including design and execution of laboratory scale experiments, transitioning processes through pilot scale demonstration, and supporting full scale commercial deployment. There are currently two openings for this role.
The Process Development Engineer (I) will assist with identifying and evaluating process configurations appropriate for a particular product, identifying and assessing the applicability of diverse process equipment, and providing recommendations on methods to optimize process performance and/or operability. He/she will also assist with the development of standard engineering documentation (PFDs, PIDs, mass and energy balances) and contribute to efforts to develop cost-of-goods models.
Successful candidates will have a hands-on, practical approach to problem solving with a solid chemical engineering background and the ability to function as both an individual and group contributor. Effective verbal and written communication skills are prerequisite given the need to continually exchange information with a variety of groups with the company. The ideal candidate is someone who develops new ideas, learns on the fly and is excited by technical challenges and aggressive time lines.
Responsibilities:
• Assist with the development of industrially deployable processes for Joule’s target products
• Design and execute hypothesis-driven experimental plans, analyze resulting data and prepare reports
• Develop novel test fixtures and/or methodologies to cost effectively increase understanding of the impact of key process variables
• Complete mass and energy balances across unit operations
• Contribute to the development of overall mass and energy balances
• Assist with cost-of-goods analyses
• Contribute to the development of engineering design basis packages including: process flow diagrams (PFDs), process and instrumentation diagrams (PIDs), equipment lists, process descriptions, etc.
• Integrate information from key stakeholders into the process design by maintaining a cross-functional perspective and while effectively communicating with other groups within the company
• Assist with initial startup and operation of pilot scale equipment, including development of SOPs, participation in HAZOP reviews, etc.
Qualifications:
The successful candidate will be a high energy, enthusiastic self-starter with a solid chemical/process engineering background. A Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or a related field with two or more years of relevant experience is required. Relevant experience includes fuel ethanol production, biodiesel production, chemical refining, process engineering and industrial fermentation.
In addition an ideal candidate will possess several of the following skills/attributes:
• Understanding of a broad range of chemical processing unit operations (e.g. solids separation, distillation, stripping, etc)
• Previous exposure to biologically based processes
• Experience with operation of laboratory and pilot scale equipment
• Familiarity with process modeling and numerical analysis software (e.g. Excel, Aspen, Matlab)
• Ability to work well in a team as well as independently with minimal supervision
• Strong communication, technical writing and presentation skills
• Proficiency for multitasking in a fast-paced start-up environment
Joule is pioneering the production of Liquid Fuel from the Sun™, surpassing today’s barriers to abundant, sustainable, cost-competitive supply. Its transformational Helioculture™ platform converts sunlight and waste CO2 directly into liquid fuels in a continuous process that is not limited by costly biomass intermediates, processing or use of precious natural resources. This platform can yield renewable diesel fuel in unprecedented volumes with a fraction of the land use incurred by current methods, leapfrogging biomass-dependent approaches and eliminating the economic and environmental disadvantages of fossil fuels. Founded in 2007 by Flagship VentureLabs, Joule is privately held and headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts. Additional information is available at www.jouleunlimited.com.