Pilot Lab Technician

Indaver Ireland & UK; Town of Belgium (WI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Indaver is seeking an R&D pilot operator to own the operation, maintenance and optimization of the pilot plant, ensuring reliable results and continuous improvement. You will run experiments, adjust parameters, and analyze data to extract insights for development.

You will collaborate with the R&D and P2C teams to translate findings into scalable industrial processes, while maintaining safety and environmental standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor in Chemistry (Process technology) required.
• 3–5 years of process technology experience, preferably in a pilot environment.
• Hands-on with strong analytical, reporting and communication skills.
• Concern for people, safety and environment.
• Team player and flexible; fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Operate, maintain and optimize the pilot plant to deliver results.
• Prepare and run experiments, adjust parameters, monitor performance.
• Analyze results, document findings and translate data into insights.
• Collaborate with R&D and P2C team to bridge research and application.

Skills

Hands-on

Analytical

Reporting

Communicative

Safety awareness

Team player

English fluency

Education

Bachelor in Chemistry (Process technology)

Job description

Employer
Indaver

Type contract
Permanent

What will your working day look like?

As R&D pilot operator, you will be responsible for operating, maintaining and optimizing the pilot plant. You take full ownership of operating, maintaining, and continuously optimizing the pilot plant to deliver reliable and meaningful results.

You start by preparing and running experiments, carefully adjusting process parameters and monitoring performance.

While working on the pilot plant, you stay alert to any deviations or opportunities to improve efficiency, reliability, or output quality.

Alongside the operational work, you dedicate time to analyzing results, documenting findings, and translating data into clear insights. You actively use the observations to propose and implement improvements in equipment, processes, and ways of working.

Collaboration is key in your role. You work closely with colleagues in R&D and regularly exchange insights within the P2C team, bridging the gap between experimental research and industrial application.

What will be your biggest challenge?

Your biggest challenge will be operating in a fast-evolving R&D environment where flexibility, ownership, and technical insights are essential. In this role, you will work on early-stage pilot technology, where processes are still being shaped and optimized. You need to quickly understand complex mechanical and chemical interactions and balance operational reliability with continuous experimentation. While the pilot plant needs to run safely and consistently, its purpose is also to challenge assumptions, test boundaries, and explore new possibilities. This requires a mindset that is both structured and flexible. You will translate your day-to-day observations into clear, actionable improvements. This means thinking beyond the immediate test results and understanding their broader implications for industrial application.

How will you make a difference?

• You obtained at least a bachelor in Chemistry (Process technology)
• You have 3 to 5 years of work experience in process technology, preferable in a pilot environment
• You are hands‑on and have strong analytical, reporting and communicative skills
• You demonstrate concern for people, safety and environment
• You are team player and flexible
• You are fluent in English.

What can we offer you?

• An exciting and varied responsible job that is appropriately paid
• The opportunity to pioneer advanced recycling solutions and contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy
• The opportunity for further development; we like to invest in our colleagues
• A good work‑life balance.

Where will you be working?

Indaver is an international waste treatment and management company committed to a sustainable circular future. It extracts new raw materials and energy from waste streams. Hazardous components are destroyed in order to keep the materials cycle safe.

Indaver Plastics2Chemicals (P2C) is a leader in advanced recycling technologies focused on reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable resource management. Our first plant in Antwerp reprocesses collected plastic waste streams into valuable chemicals which are further processed into circular polymers.

You will join a dynamic, multidisciplinary and enthusiastic team that is passionate about ecofriendly innovations and whose mission is to realise a circular economy. Everyone in the team wants to make this a success. We therefore adopt a flexible attitude in our work, also take on tasks that are not always in our package and take a lot of personal responsibility. You can count on a supportive and inclusive work environment that focuses on collaboration, integrity and excellence.