Sorbent Module Product Owner (80-100%)

Climeworks; Opfikon; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 vacation days

Hybrid work setup

Equity package

Parental leave

Learning budget

Referral bonuses

Job summary

Climeworks is seeking an experienced mechanical engineering professional to own the development of innovative sorbent modules and manage their lifecycle from early concept through deployment and end-of-life. You will coordinate validation, foster cross-functional collaboration, and drive continuous improvement in a fast-growing, sustainable technology environment.

The role emphasizes hands-on design, manufacturing awareness, and collaboration with internal teams and external partners.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field with 5+ years industrial product development experience.
• Experience with design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) and design for maintainability (DfM).
• Knowledge of design for environment (DfE) and energy/productivity trade-offs is a plus.
• Proven track record leading development projects from concept to delivery and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and passion for sustainable technologies, especially early-stage R&D and product innovation.
• Fluency in English and ability to work in an international engineering environment.

Responsibilities

• Own the development of sorbent modules from TRL3 to TRL6, balancing requirements, performance, manufacturability and scalability.
• Lead lifecycle management from TRL6 to launch, service, and end-of-life.
• Coordinate validation through serial production, driving engineering, manufacturing, testing for industrialization.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to ensure seamless product development and delivery.
• Support prototype fabrication and testing, validate concepts, troubleshoot, refine performance.
• Drive continuous improvement of sorbent modules across the product lifecycle.

Skills

Materials selection

DfMA

DfM

DfE

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

English fluency

Travel willingness

Education

Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Testing equipment

Job description

Get to know Climeworks

Climeworks is a leading high-quality carbon removal provider, combining decades of expertise in Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology with a holistic approach to carbon removal solutions. Climeworks advises companies on their carbon removal strategies and provides tailored portfolios of nature-based and engineered approaches, offering end-to-end services to help achieve net-zero goals. The company runs the world's first two DAC plants in Iceland, demonstrating its core commitment to high-quality carbon removal that is backed by over 15 years of pioneering research, development, and deployment. By advancing the most reliable solutions in the market, Climeworks accelerates the global transition to net zero, unlocking economic value for businesses, governments, and society. We foster a dynamic environment and are building a global purpose-driven team. We are looking for disruptive thinkers, passionate achievers and inspiring leaders that are ready to take on the world’s greatest challenge. Will you join us?

Job description

• Product Development Ownership: You take ownership of developing innovative sorbent modules from approximately TRL3 to TRL6, optimizing trade-offs between product requirements, performance, manufacturability, and scalability.
• Lifecycle Management: You lead the lifecycle management of new sorbent modules from TRL6 through product launch, service, and end-of-life, ensuring successful product deployment and long-term performance.
• Validation & Industrialization: You coordinate the validation of new products through serial production delivery, initiating and driving all engineering, manufacturing, testing, and validation activities required for successful industrialization.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: You work closely with in-house technology, development, and operations teams, as well as external collaborators, suppliers, and partners, to ensure seamless product development and delivery.
• Prototype Fabrication & Testing: You support the fabrication and testing of prototypes, conducting experiments to validate design concepts, troubleshoot issues, and refine product performance.
• Continuous Improvement: You drive the continuous improvement of sorbent modules by identifying opportunities to enhance product performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness throughout the product lifecycle.

Your Story

• Educational Background & Experience: You hold an advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field and bring at least 5 years of industrial experience in product development, mechanical design, or design engineering.
• Design & Engineering Expertise: You have hands‑on experience with material selection, Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), Design for Maintainability (DfM), and Design for the Environment (DfE), combined with a basic understanding of chemical processes and associated energy and productivity trade-offs.
• Project Leadership: You have a proven track record of successfully managing development projects from concept through implementation, coordinating engineering activities and ensuring delivery through collaboration with cross‑functional teams and external vendors.
• Innovation & Problem Solving: You bring strong creative problem‑solving skills and a passion for advancing sustainable technologies, with a particular interest in contributing to early‑stage R&D and product innovation.
• Collaboration & Communication: You are an effective communicator who enjoys working across multidisciplinary teams, mentoring junior engineers, and managing IP‑sensitive collaborations with third‑party suppliers and partners.
• Language Skills & Availability: You are fluent in English and comfortable operating in an international, collaborative engineering environment. You are available to work 80–100% and are willing to travel up to 10% as required.

Our promise

At Climeworks, you are accepted for who you are, and we are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply – regardless of background, identity, or experience. Studies show that women and individuals from minority backgrounds often only apply for jobs when they meet 100% of the listed criteria. If this sounds like you, don’t hold back. If you think you’d make a great fit for this role, we’d love to hear from you, even if you don’t check every single box. Let’s tackle one of humankind’s greatest challenges together.

What We Offer

• Time Off: Enjoy 25 paid vacation days every year, plus public holidays.
• Flexibility: Work how it suits you best. We offer a hybrid work setup and up to 4 weeks of remote work annually within any EU country.
• Ownership: Fair base pay paired with an equity package – because your contributions matter.
• Family Support: Inclusive parental leave.
• Continuous Learning: Dedicated budget to invest in your professional growth.
• Referral Rewards: Help us grow our team and earn bonuses for your successful referrals.

Salary

At Climeworks, salary ranges are assigned to a job based on the level of seniority and the location specific market median of similar jobs according to external benchmark surveys. Individual compensation depends on your skills, experience, and the value you bring to the team.

Formalities

• This position is based in Opfikon, Zurich, and we ask that you work onsite at least three days per week.
• The percentage in the job title means flexibility – choose full‑time or part‑time based on what works for you.
• We do not accept candidate profiles through recruitment agencies.