Principal Chemical Process Engineer

Climate People; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Climate People is seeking a Principal Chemical Process Engineer in Palo Alto, CA. This role involves translating bench-scale experimental data into process models and supporting the development of a pilot-scale carbon removal platform.

Applicants should have over 10 years of chemical engineering experience and strong capabilities in process modeling, heat and mass balances, and communication. A competitive salary and equity package is offered.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in chemical or process engineering focused on process development.
• Strong experience in building process models from early-stage or incomplete data.
• Deep fundamentals knowledge in thermodynamics and process design.

Responsibilities

• Translate bench-scale experimental data into system-level process understanding.
• Develop heat and mass balances and PFDs.
• Support pilot-scale process design and evaluate competing process configurations.

Skills

Process modeling and simulation

Heat and mass balance

Strong communication skills

Tools

Aspen Plus

HYSYS

Job description

Our client is a well-funded stealth climate technology company developing a novel carbon removal platform. The company is moving from bench-scale validation toward pilot-scale demonstration and is building a technical team across electrochemistry, process engineering, mechanical design, manufacturing, and industrial deployment.

Role

Principal Chemical Process Engineer to serve as the process engineering authority for its carbon removal platform. This person will translate bench-scale experimental data into process models, heat and mass balances, process flow diagrams, equipment specifications, design basis documents, and pilot-scale engineering decisions.

This is a strategic and hands-on technical role. The right person will be able to work from incomplete early-stage data, make defensible assumptions, identify critical gaps, and help guide the company from lab-scale results toward a chemically robust pilot system.

Responsibilities

• Translate bench-scale experimental data into system-level process understanding
• Build and maintain process simulation models using Aspen Plus, HYSYS, custom models, or equivalent tools
• Develop heat and mass balances, stream tables, PFDs, operating windows, and design basis documents
• Use modeling and fundamentals to inform architecture decisions, equipment sizing, flow rates, operating conditions, and techno-economic analysis
• Identify experimental data gaps and partner with R&D to define tests that de-risk scale-up
• Support pilot-scale process design, including component selection, specifications, control philosophy, and process safety
• Evaluate competing process configurations using data, engineering judgment, and first-principles analysis
• Bridge R&D, mechanical engineering, electrochemistry, vendors, and future EPC or deployment partners

Qualifications

Required:

• 10+ years of chemical or process engineering experience focused on process development, scale-up, or pilot plant design
• Strong process modeling and simulation experience, including building models from early-stage or incomplete data
• Deep fundamentals in heat and mass balance, thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, transport phenomena, and process design
• Experience developing process designs from lab, bench, or pilot data
• Ability to size/spec equipment and translate process assumptions into operating conditions and component requirements
• Experience with novel, uncertain, or first-of-kind systems where the design basis is still being developed
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain assumptions, tradeoffs, and uncertainty

Strongly preferred:

• Experience with gas-liquid separation, absorption/desorption, reactive separations, electrochemical processes, caustic systems, solvent systems, or industrial gas processing
• Background in carbon capture, DAC, hydrogen, electrochemical systems, specialty chemicals, or industrial process scale-up
• Experience with techno-economic analysis and the connection between process simulation and cost models
• Experience supporting pilot plant design, commissioning, or technical troubleshooting
• Familiarity with custom thermodynamic property packages, electrolyte chemistry, or chemically complex simulation environments

Ideal Candidate Profile

The strongest candidates will be able to take an early-stage system and ask the right process engineering questions: What do we know? What assumptions are defensible? What data is missing? What breaks when this scales? What flow rates, duties, materials, equipment, and operating windows does this imply?

This person should work well with scientists and engineers, challenge assumptions, communicate uncertainty clearly, and move quickly without compromising safety or engineering integrity.

Compensation

Competitive salary and equity commensurate with experience.