Senior Engineer - New Process Technologies

Bryden Wood; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-Day Fortnight

Paid Professional Membership

Private Healthcare

Career Progression

Pension Scheme

Personal Accident Insurance and Group

Job summary

Bryden Wood is seeking an ambitious and capable early-career chemical/process engineer to contribute meaningfully from day one within a demanding, intellectually stimulating environment.

SAINT, Bryden Wood’s unit, provides early-stage design and due diligence for life sciences, green energy, and nuclear sectors, encouraging independent, cross-disciplinary work with senior colleagues.

Qualifications

• Degree in chemical engineering or adjacent discipline.
• Higher degrees (MSc/MPhil/PhD) welcomed; relevant research highly regarded.
• 2–5 years post-graduation or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to process engineering tasks on early-stage capital studies—material and energy balances, process flow development, equipment sizing, and supporting analysis.
• Work across disciplines within study teams—engaging with architects, automation engineers, and analysts as an integrated contributor.
• Develop understanding of systems thinking and SAINT’s Design to Value approach through direct exposure to how senior colleagues frame and solve problems.
• Apply and develop process simulation skills
• Contribute to the analytical and technical content of study deliverables
• Engage with clients in technical settings as confidence and capability develop

Skills

Intellectual curiosity

Ambiguity tolerance

Analytical thinking

Independent thinking

Cross-disciplinary exposure

Process simulation tools

Education

Chemical engineering degree

Higher degrees welcomed (MSc/MPhil/PhD)

Tools

Aspen

HYSYS

Aveva

Job description

This is an early-career role for engineers who are ready to contribute meaningfully from day one in a demanding, intellectually stimulating environment. Bryden Wood does not offer a rigid development programme — what it offers is real work on real problems, alongside people who think carefully and are willing to share their thinking.

SAINT - Systemisation for the acceleration of the introduction of new technologies is Bryden Wood's most rapidly growing and intellectually distinctive business unit, carrying out early-stage capital project design and due diligence studies for leading companies in life sciences, green energy and chemicals, and nuclear.

We are actively seeking candidates with higher degrees (MSc, MPhil, PhD) as well as first-degree graduates with some process plant exposure. Adjacent disciplines to chemical engineering are welcome where the intellectual profile is right. Development at SAINT happens through the work and through proximity to senior colleagues — not through a formal programme.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to process engineering tasks on early-stage capital studies — material and energy balances, process flow development, equipment sizing, and supporting analysis
• Work across disciplines within study teams — engaging with architects, automation engineers, and analysts as an integrated contributor
• Develop understanding systems thinking and SAINT’s Design to Value approach through direct exposure to how senior colleagues frame and solve problems
• Apply and develop process simulation skills
• Contribute to the analytical and technical content of study deliverables
• Engage with clients in technical settings as confidence and capability develop

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Intellectual curiosity — a demonstrable interest in how processes and systems work beyond the minimum required by a syllabus
• Comfort with ambiguity and open-ended problems
• Strong analytical and quantitative reasoning
• Readiness to contribute in an environment that does not offer a structured induction programme
• Some hands‑on exposure to process plant or industrial environments — from placement, gap year, summer work, or related employment. Not essential at graduate level but highly valued.
• Exposure to process simulation tools (Aspen, HYSYS, Aveva, or similar) through academic or industrial work
• Experience or coursework in process safety, process control, or plant design
• Interest in sustainability, energy transition, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or nuclear technology
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary or cross‑functional environment

Skills and Behaviours

The Kind of Person Who Thrives at SAINT

Technical credentials matter — but they are not sufficient. The people who do their best work at SAINT share certain qualities that go beyond discipline:

• Independent thinkers who find conventional answers unsatisfying — they want to understand why, not just what
• Comfortable not knowing — they can sit with an unsolved problem without defaulting to the first available answer
• Collaborative without being deferential — they contribute their own perspective while genuinely engaging with others
• Observant in industrial and technical environments — they notice how things work and file it away
• An appetite for breadth — as interested in the business and strategic context of a project as in the engineering detail

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in chemical engineering or an adjacent discipline — process engineering, chemical technology, biochemical engineering, process chemistry, or similar
• Higher degrees (MSc, MPhil, PhD) are explicitly welcomed; a research background is considered highly relevant to SAINT’s way of working
• 2 to 5 years post‑graduation, or equivalent post‑higher degree experience. Time spent on a PhD is counted as relevant experience toward this criterion.

Career development and progression

SAINT is growing rapidly and the team is genuinely collaborative — which means real opportunities to take on growing responsibilities, shape your own role, and influence the group's direction and capabilities. There are many experienced people in the team who are willing to support the professional development of self‑motivated colleagues.

At Bryden Wood, we offer a range of company perks, including:

• 9-Day Fortnight: Enjoy one extra day off every other week, with no extra hours required and no change to your salary.
• Paid Professional Membership: We cover eligible professional memberships.
• Private Healthcare: Fully funded by us.
• Career Progression: Regular performance reviews to support your growth.
• Pension Scheme: We match contributions up to 5%.
• Personal Accident Insurance and Group Life Scheme: Additional financial protection.
• Cycle to Work and EV Schemes: Support for greener travel.
• Learning Opportunities: Regular CPDs and development opportunities.
• Social Events: Office lunches, outings, and monthly socials.

*Benefits vary depending on geographical location and will be discussed at interview.

Appointment to this role will be subject to satisfactory references and possession of valid Right to Work documentation for the relevant location.

Bryden Wood is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do. Working in a diverse society, we recognise that our clients, colleagues, and contractors are central to our success.