Process Engineer

Shellworks; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days + bank holidays + Christmassh

Daily catered lunch at the office

Heka wellbeing allowance

Virtual GP

Cycle to work scheme

Competitive salary + equity options

Growth and development opportunities

Enhanced parental leave

Job summary

Shellworks is seeking a process engineer to elevate our high-volume manufacturing. You will optimise continuous production, reduce waste, and help bring novel, plastic-free materials to scale.

The role requires a Master’s degree and 1–3 years in industry. You’ll work in a hybrid London-based setting, partnering with Materials, Design Engineering and Operations teams to solve complex challenges and travel for partner engagements.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
• 1–3 years of industry experience in a relevant industrial manufacturing environment.
• Hands-on approach with a passion for sustainability, materials, and machine–material interaction.

Responsibilities

• Run experiments to optimise material blends and reduce waste.
• Resolve common quality issues to achieve cost parity with plastics.
• Investigate and resolve unknowns in manufacturing processes via experimentation.
• Deepen knowledge of process variables controlling product fabrication.
• Collaborate with Materials team on scale-up of new materials.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Innovation on bringing processes to scale.
• Work with manufacturing partners to understand setups and constraints.
• Contribute to world‑leading projects across materials, design engineering, and operations teams.

Skills

Hands-on

Structured thinking

Self-starter

Team player

Clear communicator

Decision making

Education

Masters degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

London, N4

4 days in our office, 1 day from home

£40,000 - 50,000 pa + equity

About Shellworks

At Shellworks, we’re on a mission to make plastic waste a thing of the past. We’ve created a new generation of materials - sustainable, high-performing, and designed to disappear. All of our materials are broken down by microorganisms in the soil. By reimagining how plastics are made, we’re tackling one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges. We’ve already shipped millions of groundbreaking products and now we’re designing the next ones that are going to change the world. You’ll be joining a team of experts in materials science, design and manufacturing who are obsessed with sustainability and innovation.

Here are some of the people you’ll work with:

The mission of this role

Your mission is to enable our high-volume production to reach the next level by optimising continuous manufacturing and bringing the next phase of materials to scale. You will resolve common failure modes seen in manufacturing and dive into understanding how raw material variability affects manufacturing efficiency. You will use your expertise in process engineering to minimise waste and drive our plastic-free materials to the next level. If you're passionate about using your process engineering skills to solve complex challenges and create a better future, this is the perfect role for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Run experiments to optimise our material blends to optimise manufacturing and reduce waste.
• Resolve common quality issues seen in our products allowing us to achieve cost down to achieve parity with plastic.
• Solve the unknowns in our manufacturing processes through experimentation and design to resolve common quality failures.
• Deepen our knowledge of our manufacturing processes by studying the variables which control how products are made.
• Bring new materials to scale by working closely with the Materials team on the scale-up.
• Bring new manufacturing processes to scale through working closely with the Manufacturing Innovation team.
• Work closely with our manufacturing partners to understand their manufacturing setups - the pain points, process parameters, and machine design.
• Collaborate on world-first projects across the materials, design engineering, manufacturing innovation and operations teams.

Our Ideal Candidate

• Holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering, Material Science or Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering
• Has 1-3 years of industry experience in a relevant industrial manufacturing environment or novel process development
• Enjoys hands-on working whether it is making new material blends, tweaking machine setups, or material characterisation
• Is passionate about sustainability, materials, and machine-material interaction
• Is a structured thinker who can design creative and effective design of experiments to uncover new insights
• Is a tenacious learner, especially when it comes to plastics manufacturing processes and polymer science
• Is a self-starter and is not afraid to jump into the unknown
• Has bias to action and is confident making decisions independently, even with incomplete information
• Is a team player who actively avoids silos and prioritises interdisciplinary problem solving
• Is a clear communicator, who proactively brings clarity when there is confusion or ambiguity
• Wants to be in our London office and R&D facility at least 4 days a week and is motivated to travel domestically and internationally to work directly with partners

Our Benefits

• 25 days + bank holidays + Christmas shutdown
• Daily catered lunch at the office and team socials
• Heka wellbeing allowance - to spend on what matters to you - gym, therapy, nutrition, learning, fertility and menopause support, and lots of other options!
• Virtual GP - same or next day appointments and private prescriptions delivered to you
• Cycle to work scheme - buy, subscribe to, or share a bike with savings of up to 42% via salary sacrifice
• Competitive salary + equity options
• Growth and development opportunities as we scale
• Enhanced parental leave - 12 weeks maternity at full pay, 6 weeks paternity at full pay
• A tightly knit, passionate team making a real impact.