Field Operations Engineer

Thiozen Inc.; Lubbock (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

Field allowance

Job summary

Thiozen Inc. is seeking an engineer to live with and operate the pilot unit west of Lubbock, TX. You will run tests, perform on-site wet chemistry, and monitor health of the cycle, reporting to the CEO. This hands-on role offers real responsibility from week one in a small company.

You will handle maintenance, safety procedures, and data logs, with travel to the Permian Basin and Alberta as needed, shaping future design changes.

Qualifications

• BS in Chemical, Petroleum or Mechanical Engineering with 1–3 years of work experience.
• Hands-on plant, pilot unit, lab scale-up or field experience required.
• Ability to read gauges, turn valves and troubleshoot on-site.

Responsibilities

• Operate the pilot unit daily, follow test plans, and schedule samples.
• Perform on-site wet chemistry to monitor cycle health.
• Maintain logs and ensure data reliability for design iterations.
• Coordinate with licensed electricians/contractors for maintenance.

Skills

Wet chemistry

Instrumentation

Controls systems

Field experience

Safety awareness

Education

BS in Chemical, Petroleum or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

P&IDs

Loop drawings

Job description

Thiozen is an MIT spinout building secure, affordable, and clean energy. Our patented process turns hydrogen sulfide into value, and we have two products built on the same novel chemistry.

Our first product, Zen, is a modular liquid redox unit that oxidizes H2S to saleable elemental sulfur. It shuts down flares, turns sour gas into fuel for behind the meter power, and lets operators produce gas they cannot produce today. Our first commercial Zen units will treat the full gas stream of producing batteries in Alberta and the Permian Basin.

Our second product, ZenH2, takes the same chemistry one step further: hydrogen sulfide reforming that produces clean hydrogen and fertilizer at fossil fuel prices, with up to 95 percent fewer emissions than reforming natural gas. Our first ZenH2 deployment is in Alberta.

We ran our pilot unit on sour gas an hour west of Lubbock, Texas, taking H2S from percent levels to pipeline specification and producing high purity hydrogen and sulfur. We are backed by Eni Next and several hard tech venture capital firms, and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and Emissions Reduction Alberta.

About the role

You will be the engineer who lives with the units. Working from our pilot site west of Lubbock, you will operate the unit, run the test program, do the on site wet chemistry that tells us whether the cycle is healthy, keep the data reliable, handle routine maintenance and instrumentation, and be the first to know when something is off. You will report to the CEO. This is a hands on job with real responsibility from the first week, in a company small enough that what you learn on the unit changes the design of the next one.

What you will do

• Operate the unit day to day: rounds, readings, operating targets, test plans and sampling schedules.
• Run on site analytical work. Our process uses an iodine intermediate, and wet chemistry at the site is how we know the cycle is doing what it should.
• Own site safety practice: gas detection, PPE, permits, lockout and the H2S procedures. Stop work when something is not right.
• Troubleshoot process, instrument and mechanical problems, and write up what happened and what you changed.
• Carry out routine maintenance and instrument work, bringing in licensed electricians and contractors when the job requires them.
• Support commissioning, startup and early operation of our commercial units in the Permian Basin and Alberta.
• Keep logs and records our engineers can trust, and turn what you learn into procedure and design changes.

What we are looking for

• BS in Chemical, Petroleum or Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, with one to three years of work experience.
• Practical experience in a plant, pilot unit, lab scale up or field setting. You have turned valves, read gauges and fixed things, not only simulated them.
• Either strong wet chemistry skills (titrations, sample handling, analytical instruments, a notebook someone else can follow) or strong instrumentation and controls skills (reading P&IDs and loop drawings, troubleshooting transmitters and control loops, basic electrical). Tell us which way you lean.
• Comfortable working around sour gas. Willing to complete H2S and OSHA safety training before your first day on site.
• The ability to travel to the Permian Basin and Alberta.
• Self directed, and comfortable being responsible for a unit.

Nice to have

• Experience with amine units, sulfur recovery, gas treating or similar process units.
• Prior operator, E&I technician or field engineering experience in oil and gas.
• Prior work with a technology developer, pilot program or startup of a new unit.
• Current H2S Clear, H2S Alive, OSHA 10 or 30, or SafeLand certification.

Compensation

$90k to $115k base depending on experience, plus equity, benefits, and field allowance.

Thiozen is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a safe and respectful workplace.