Process Engineer

Phase Biolabs; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Phase Biolabs in Nottingham is seeking a process engineer to help scale and operate our continuous gas fermentation process. You will be in a hands-on role, designing, building, testing, and optimizing systems while learning how they best operate.

We value ownership, curiosity, and clear communication as you work with a multidisciplinary team on mass and energy balances, nutrient and gas delivery strategies, and ethanol recovery integration.

Qualifications

• A degree in chemical or process engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 3+ years working on real process equipment at lab, pilot or plant scale.
• Familiar with mass and energy balances and instrumentation.
• Experience with fermentation or gas-liquid processes is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Help design, build and operate continuous fermentation systems
• Run continuous campaigns and turn the data into process improvements
• Design and operate auxiliary systems
• Integrate ethanol recovery by distillation with the fermentation
• Help refine the mass and energy balances that underpin our pilot plant design
• Work closely with our fermentation team on nutrient and gas delivery strategy
• Proactively troubleshoot, maintain, and get stuck into whatever else the process needs

Skills

Hands-on engineering

Data-driven

Problem-solving

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelors in chemical or process engineering

Equivalent hands-on experience

Tools

P&IDs

Instrumentation

Distillation

Gas handling

Job description

ABOUT US

Phase Biolabs converts waste CO₂ and renewable hydrogen into ethanol by gas fermentation, for use as an e-fuel in road fuel, as a low-carbon chemical feedstock and a sustainable aviation fuel precursor. We're a small team scaling a new biomanufacturing process.

YOUR ROLE

As a process engineer working within a multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to the scaling and operation of our continuous gas fermentation process. This position is for someone who likes being a hands-on engineer, designing new systems, building and testing them and learning how they best operate.

If this role excites you but your experience doesn't tick every box below, apply anyway — we're looking for the right person, not a perfect CV.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Help design, build and operate continuous fermentation systems


• Run continuous campaigns and turn the data into process improvements


• Design and operate auxiliary systems


• Integrate ethanol recovery by distillation with the fermentation


• Help refine the mass and energy balances that underpin our pilot plant design


• Work closely with our fermentation team on nutrient and gas delivery strategy


• Proactively troubleshoot, maintain, and get stuck into whatever else the process needs

YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO

• Likes being in the plant room as much as at the desk


• Is curious and data driven


• Takes ownership without waiting to be asked


• Isn't afraid to make mistakes


• Communicates clearly with people outside your discipline

WHAT A SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE LOOKS LIKE

• A degree in chemical or process engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience


• 3+ years working on real process equipment, at lab, pilot or plant scale


• Confident with P&IDs, mass and energy balances, and instrumentation


• Has commissioned or troubleshot something and seen it through

NICE TO HAVE

• Fermentation or gas-liquid mass transfer experience


• Distillation or separations


• PLCs, control systems or data acquisition


• Working with flammable gases (H₂)