Project Engineer - Biochar Reactors and Kilns

Biocare Projects Pty; Australia; Remote; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Biocare is seeking a Project Engineer specialized in biochar reactors and kilns to lead complex engineering projects across Australia and nearby regions. You will plan, coordinate, and supervise multidisciplinary teams, ensuring compliance with codes and budgets while driving R&D to optimize biochar production processes.

The successful candidate will have 3–5+ years in project management or process engineering, a Bachelor's in Engineering, and solid knowledge of biochar systems.

Qualifications

• Proven working experience as a Project Engineer.
• Strong knowledge of biochar reactors and kilns, biochar production processes, and related technologies including pyrolysis and gasification.
• Experience in project management across multiple disciplines (3–5+ years).
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem‑solving skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field; Australian regulations familiarity is beneficial.
• Experience or interest in carbon markets.

Responsibilities

• Plan, schedule, and coordinate engineering projects.
• Monitor compliance with codes, practices, and performance standards.
• Interact with clients to understand needs and represent them in the field.
• Ensure project accuracy, quality, and adherence to budget and schedule.
• Assign responsibilities and mentor project teams; liaise with on‑ground teams.
• Collaborate with project managers and other participants.
• Review and initiate corrective actions for engineering outputs.
• Conduct due diligence of biochar reactors and kilns.
• Manage biochar projects from concept to completion, including planning, feasibility, commissioning, execution, monitoring, and record keeping.
• Conduct R&D to improve efficiency and recovery of byproducts such as heat and wood vinegar.
• Monitor and report onsite; identify issues needing address.
• Adapt and improve technology to optimize biochar production; input to design of systems.
• Test hardware and share knowledge with subsystems leads to address interdependencies.
• Work with external analysis consultants and vendors to ensure successful delivery.
• Coordinate with team to meet timelines and auditing requirements.
• Provide technical guidance and feedback to Biocare team.

Skills

Project Engineering

Regulatory compliance

Project management

Leadership

Time management

Biochar knowledge

R&D

Monitoring systems

Communication

Vendor management

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Adaptability

Carbon markets

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a relevant field

Master's or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field

Tools

AutoCAD

Job description

Join a team of industry experts that all share acommon goal.

Careers with us

This position is preferably domiciled in Australia, but we welcome applications from anywhere in the world. Candidates who are willing to relocate (temporarily or part of the year) to Australia are encouraged to apply. Travel will be required.

• Planning and Coordination: Prepare, schedule, and coordinate engineering projects.
• Quality Assurance: Monitor compliance with codes, practices, and performance standards.
• Client Interaction: Interact with clients to understand their needs and represent them in the field.
• Quality Control: Ensure project accuracy, quality, and adherence to budget and schedule.
• Team Management: Assign responsibilities and mentor project teams. Engage and liaise with on the ground teams to ensure that they are properly trained and educated on biochar production processes.
• Collaboration: Cooperate effectively with project managers and other participants.
• Engineering Deliverables: Review and initiate corrective actions for engineering outputs.
• Conduct due diligence of biochar reactors and kilns to ensure their suitability for biochar production.
• Project Management: Manage biochar projects from concept to completion, including project planning, feasibility, commissioning, execution, monitoring, and record keeping to ensure timely delivery within budget and scope.
• Research and Development: Conduct R&D to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of biochar production processes and useful recovery of byproducts, such as heat and wood vinegar.
• Monitor and report onsite to ensure that all processes are functioning properly and identify any issues that need to be addressed.
• Technology Optimisation: Adapt and improve the technology to optimise biochar production and provide input to the design of biochar systems such as the char/gas separation, cooling, heat recovery and biomass loading, biochar unloading and storage systems.
• Test hardware and sharing knowledge with other subsystems leads to identify, understand, and address interdependencies.
• Work collectively with a wide network of people and resources, including external analysis consultants and vendors, to ensure successful project delivery.
• Work closely with the rest of the team to align development timelines and meet program goals and auditing requirements together.
• Provide technical guidance and feedback to the Biocare team.

Key Responsibilities:

The ideal candidate for the Project Engineer - Biochar Reactors and Kilns role should possess the following qualifications:

• Experience: Proven working experience as a Project Engineer.
• Excellent knowledge of design and visualization software (e.g., AutoCAD).
• Regulations and Standards: Familiarity with rules, regulations, and best practices.
• Project Management: Ability to work on multiple discipline projects. 3-5+ years of experience in project management, process engineering, or related fields.
• Leadership Skills: Decision‑making ability and leadership skills.
• Time Management: Effective time management and organization skills.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a relevant field.
• Strong knowledge of biochar reactors and kilns, biochar production processes, and related technologies including pyrolysis and gasification.
• Experience in R&D and process optimization.
• Familiarity with monitoring and reporting systems used in biochar production.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with experience in engaging and liaising with on‑the‑ground teams.
• Experience in managing vendor relationships and timelines.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with a demonstrated ability to identify and address interdependencies across multiple subsystems.
• Experience in working with a wide network of people and resources, including external analysis consultants and vendors.
• Willingness to work in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment and to adapt to changing priorities and timelines.
• Experience or interest in carbon markets.

Although not required, the following qualifications would be considered advantageous:

• Master's or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience in the bioenergy or biofuels industry.
• Familiarity with Australian regulations and standards for biochar production.

Qualifications:

Biocare is a carbon project developer with a keen focus on engineered carbon removal with a strong specialty in biochar. We are well funded with a growing pipeline of projects across Australia, the South Pacific, South East Asia and South America. We partner with project proponents and forge long‑term relationships. We provide funding to projects, eco‑techno feasibility, technology assessment identification, design MRV and work alongside our partners through the duration of our projects. We market the carbon removal credits and other byproducts including thermal energy and biochar.

We believe that pricing carbon removal is fundamentally important to driving decarbonisation. A high carbon price encourages or forces companies to look internally at their operations and make better decisions to reduce emissions. On the pathway to net‑zero and to combat climate change we think an emitter should measure, monitor, analyse, reduce emissions and neutralise residual emissions using carbon dioxide removals (CDR).

While we promote CDR as the premium credits in the market and the most accurate proxy for pricing the negative externalities caused by increased GHG emissions, we support all environmental commodities (renewables, energy efficiency, nature based solutions, biodiversity). Along the journey to net zero we think there is a role for other climate contributions but they do not accurately price carbon.

These are nascent markets and we warmly welcome and encourage a radical discourse.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply.