Staff Process Engineer (Process & Material Handling)

NextGenEnergyJobs; Alameda; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Sila, a next-generation battery materials company, seeks a Staff Process Engineer to design, commission and startup critical steps in its first industrial-scale plants. You will own process design and drive performance under pressure during startups and trials.

You will collaborate across engineering, operations and with vendors, translating R&D outputs into scalable production while leading improvements and ensuring on-spec product delivery for the next generation of materials.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.
• 5+ years owning a high-volume production line or in a design-to-commissioning role as a Production or Process Design Engineer.
• Experience with plant startups, turnarounds, or new grade trials.
• Experience with bulk solids in manufacturing or related technologies.
• Knowledge of basic controls schemes and familiarity with advanced control strategies.
• Experience with PFDs, P&IDs and operating procedures.

Responsibilities

• Commission Sila's manufacturing plant and startup critical steps.
• Be the process engineer for a unit or set of units in the manufacturing process.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations and maintenance teams.
• Drive long-term production line improvements and optimizations.
• Develop FEED deliverables starting at concept for future plants.
• Drive design and control scheme modifications for first-of-a-kind plant during startup.
• Influence other teams and drive technical solutions across the organization.

Skills

Chemical engineering

Process design

Plant start-up experience

PFDs & P&IDs

Controls knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Hazop experience

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

We are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company.

Responsibilities

• Commission Sila's manufacturing plant to produce next-generation battery materials
• Be the Process Eng for a critical unit or set of units in the manufacturing process
• Collaborate with all engineering disciplines, operations and others required for a chemical plant
• Expertly balance day-to-day priorities with long term deliverables
• Work seamlessly with internal teams and 3rd party vendors to drive technical deliverables
• Play a critical role in the long term vision and execution of production line improvements
• Drive design and control scheme modifications for large scale first-of-a-kind plant during startup
• Develop HMBs, P&IDs and other FEED deliverables starting at concept for the next gen plant
• Drive ideas through R&D, Material Dev, and Pilot Test Teams for at-scale implementation
• Influence others across the org and drive technical solutions

Requirements

• As a Staff Process Engineer on Sila's Technology team, you will be responsible for designing, commissioning and start-up of critical steps in Sila's first and future industrial scale plants. You'll also start working on the next generation technology after Sila's first plant is running. The ideal team member will have experience working efficiently in high pressure situations, such as plant startups, new grade trials, or turnarounds, to deliver product on-spec. You bring applicable experiences of having seen different manufacturing plant technologies, having worked with bulk solids in manufacturing, or have expert level competency in at least one chemical technology so you know what process engineering excellence looks like.
• You bring a collaborative and bias for action energy to the team. You have seamlessly worked closely with or on a chemical company's R&D and Technology teams as well as with the Manufacturing Engineering, Operations and Maintenance teams. Most importantly, you are comfortable working on new problems everyday, have an extreme-ownership mentality, and have a track record of pushing yourself and your team to be better every single day.
• B.S. or M.S. in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering
• Minimum of 5 years of experience directly owning a high volume production line or in a design-to-commissioning role as a Production or Process Design Engineer for a plant or other comparable manufacturing (speciality materials, food, chemicals, etc.)
• Ability to visualize in great detail and have a first-principles understanding of an operating plant
• Exposure to process design that may range from minor retrofits to new plant scope
• Knowledge of basic controls schemes and familiarity with advanced control strategies
• Experience with daily and long-term process optimization and production constraints
• Risk management, management of change and HAZOP experience
• Years of experience creating, reading and edited PFDs, P&IDs, and Operating Procedures
• Ability to determine and solve for key parameters for process scale-up to commercial volumes
• Track record of relentlessly challenging accepted practices and inefficiencies