Senior Process Engieer

United States Digital Space LLC; Bayern; Vor Ort; EUR 90.000 - 130.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

UStozero, Europe’s leading deep-tech battery recycling startup, seeks a Senior Process Engineer to lead design, scale-up, commissioning and ramp-up of our processes focusing on graphite and lithium extraction. You will translate experimental data into robust designs and collaborate with R&D, Operations and external engineering partners.

You will work in a production environment, interpreting data to guide plant-scale decisions and contribute to performance, safety and future facility design.

Qualifikationen

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in process engineering within chemical, hydrometallurgy, battery, mining, minerals, recycling or related process industries; graphite and lithium extraction/post-processing preferred.
• Strong experience with process design and scale-up, including PFDs, P&IDs, mass/energy balances and equipment sizing.
• Comfortable working with industrial datasets and translating operational data into engineering models and decisions.
• Familiarity with process safety methods such as HAZOP and LOPA; fluent English; German a plus.

Aufgaben

• Own key process design activities for future-generation plants and scale-up.
• Translate pilot/operating data into reliable engineering design criteria and scale-up assumptions.
• Perform calculations and equipment sizing to ensure design based on validated data.
• Support commissioning, validation and handover to Operations with clear ownership.

Jobbeschreibung

ABOUT UStozero is Europe’s leading deep-tech startup specializing in the recycling oflithium-ion batteries. Committed to accelerating decarbonization and transformingthe material life cycle, we’re actively crafting sustainable recycling solutions for acleaner and more innovative future.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for a Senior Process Engineer to take a leading technical role in thedesign, scale-up, commissioning and ramp up of our battery recycling processes.This role sits at the intersection of technology development, process engineering,and industrial scale-up. You will translate experimental and operational data intorobust process designs, challenge engineering assumptions, and ensure that ourfuture plants are built on solid fundamentals.Your focus will be on the processes that matter most to our technology — graphiteand lithium extraction. By working closely with R&D, Operations and externalengineering partners, you will actively lead and engage in activities associated with:a) engineering design; b) commissioning and ramp up; c) process development.We are looking for someone who is comfortable working in a productionenvironment, but who can also take a step back and understand what the data istelling us, and engineer the process we need at different scales.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Must Have's:

• 1. Future Plant Design & Scale-up
• Own key process design activities for our next-generation plants.
• Develop and review PFDs, P&IDs, mass and energy balances, processdescriptions and equipment specifications for future capacity expansions.
• Translate pilot and industrial operating data into reliable engineering designcriteria and scale-up assumptions.
• Perform process calculations and equipment sizing to ensure our futureplants are designed based on validated engineering data rather thantheoretical assumptions alone.
• 2. Targeted Process Expertise & Optimization
• Become a technical reference for some of our most critical process steps.
• Apply strong chemical engineering fundamentals to the optimization ofgraphite and lithium extraction and post-processing.
• Identify the parameters controlling yield, purity and process stability andtranslate these insights into concrete process improvements.
• Work closely with R&D and Operations while maintaining a strong focus onprocess performance and technology development rather than dailytroubleshooting.
• 3. Data Analysis & Process Modeling
• Turn plant data into engineering decisions.
• Evaluate operational and experimental data, build and validate mass balancesand process models, and identify gaps between expected and actual processperformance.
• Define what data needs to be collected to support future scale-up decisions.
• Technically guide data analysts and other engineering functions to ensurethat models and analytics remain grounded in physical and chemical reality.
• Translate analysis into clear recommendations for process upgrades andfuture plant designs.
• 4. Commissioning & Process Validation
• Make sure what we designed actually works.
• Participate in FATs/SATs, commissioning activities and process performancevalidation for new equipment and plant expansions.
• Develop acceptance and process validation criteria based on the originaldesign intent.
• Evaluate commissioning and operational data to confirm that installedsystems achieve their calculated performance targets.
• Work closely with Operations during handover while ensuring clear ownershiptransfers once the process meets its design criteria.
• 5. Operational Readiness, Process Safety & SOPs
• Design processes that can be operated safely and consistently.
• Translate process design and engineering intent into clear Standard OperatingProcedures (SOPs), operating envelopes and process documentation.
• Participate actively in HAZOPs, LOPAs, and other process safety reviews,ensuring that process risks are identified and addressed during design ratherthan after installation.
• Support Operations in understanding the design basis and critical processparameters of newly commissioned systems.

Nice-to-have's:Vendor & EPC Coordination

• Represent the company's process requirements with external engineering partnersand equipment suppliers.
• Prepare and review technical specifications, vendor proposals and engineeringdocumentation.
• Challenge unsupported assumptions, identify over-engineered solutions andensure equipment is correctly sized for our process.
• Support technical bid evaluations and equipment selection, balancing processperformance, CAPEX, operability and scalability.
• Act as a strong technical counterpart to EPCs, engineering contractors andequipment vendors throughout project execution.

Your profile

You have a strong chemical/process engineering foundation and enjoy solvingtechnically complex problems with a combination of first-principles engineering andreal plant data.

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, MetallurgicalEngineering or a related technical field.
• Ideally 5+ years of experience in process engineering within the chemical,hydrometallurgy, battery, mining, minerals, recycling or related processindustries; specific expertise in graphite and lithium extraction andpost-processing is highly preferred.
• Strong experience with process design and scale-up, including PFDs, P&IDs,mass/energy balances and equipment sizing.
• Comfortable working with industrial datasets and translating operational datainto engineering models and decisions.
• Experience with solid-liquid separation, precipitation, flotation,hydrometallurgy or mineral processing is highly valuable.
• Able to critically review vendor proposals and confidently challenge technicalassumptions.
• Strong experience supporting commissioning and process validation ofindustrial equipment or plants.
• Familiarity with process safety methodologies such as HAZOP and LOPA.
• Comfortable moving between detailed calculations, engineeringdocumentation and the actual plant.
• Strong communicator who can work effectively across R&D, Engineering,Operations, suppliers and EPC partners.
• Fluent English; German is a plus.

Why us?

Our technology is moving from first-of-a-kind industrial operations towardincreasingly larger and more standardized plants.The Senior Process Engineer will help us make that transition successfully: turningwhat we learn from today's plant into the engineering basis for tomorrow's plantswhile supporting commissioning and ramping up efforts.You will directly influence process performance, equipment selection, CAPEX and thetechnical architecture of our future facilities — helping ensure that every new scale issafer, simpler, more efficient and better engineered than the one before it.