Process Modeling Engineer

Zero Carbon Systems, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 145,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Zero Carbon Systems seeks a Process Modeling Engineer to bridge modeling, design, and operations. Lead TEA-based analysis to set operating points for demo and production facilities, using Aspen ACM and ACCE data to refine costs and sizing.

You will translate models to Excel, automate with VBA, and collaborate with engineers to drive capital efficiency. The ideal candidate has 7+ years in industry, TEA experience, and strong communication skills to explain numerical results to leadership and

Qualifications

• Degree in chemical engineering or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience post undergraduate degree.
• Prior TEA experience for highly integrated industrial processes.
• Hands-on process engineering experience in an industrial setting or chemical manufacturing plant.
• Knowledge of heat and mass transfer in porous materials.
• Proficiency with Excel, VBA, Python, JMP, or similar tools.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills.
• Preferred: experience reading PFDs and P&IDs.
• Preferred: experience with equipment selection or procurement.

Responsibilities

• Use and develop internal process modeling tools to guide operating points for demo and production facilities.
• Refine process models based on design improvements, data, and material advances.
• Translate models to Excel outputs, generate equipment lists, sizing, streams, and piping data.
• Automate Excel outputs with VBA to create vendor-ready spec sheets and checks.
• Translate model outputs into ACCE and other cost estimation tools and compare costs.
• Use ACCE and vendor quotes to specify costs and scaling exponents for TEA model.
• Coordinate with drafters to align PFDs/P&IDs with models and share updates with external firm.
• Integrate updates into demo facility design and advise on capital and process optimization.
• Identify opportunities to reduce CapEx and OpEx through TEA and design optimization.
• Collaborate with engineering, R&D, and project management to integrate data into workflows.
• Present model findings, cost estimates, and updates to leadership and stakeholders.

Skills

TEA experience

Process engineering

Heat/mass transfer

Excel

VBA

Python

Communication skills

PFDs & P&IDs

Cross-functional teamwork

Startup experience

Education

Chemical engineering degree

Graduate degree preferred

Tools

Aspen ACM

ACCE

Excel (VBA)

Python

Job description

About Zero Carbon Systems

Zero Carbon Systems (ZCS) is a clean energy and direct air capture company on a mission to accelerate the transition to a zero carbon future. We are developing and deploying breakthrough technologies designed to reduce atmospheric CO2 at scale, addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Backed by mission aligned investors and led by a team of passionate innovators, ZCS sits at the intersection of cutting edge science and real world impact. We are building a diverse, collaborative, and driven team of individuals who share our commitment to excellence, creativity, and the belief that the work we do today will shape the world of tomorrow.

If you are energized by meaningful work and want to be part of a company where your contributions directly advance the clean energy transition, we would love to hear from you.

Position Overview

Zero Carbon Systems seeks a Process Modeling Engineer to bridge theoretical modeling, process design, and plant operations, leveraging our internal process and equipment models to develop a highly rigorous techno-economic analysis (TEA) that our leadership team will use to finalize operating points for the ZCS demo and production facilities. Using existing heat and mass balances and capital estimates, this engineer will optimize the process across scenarios such as weather, location, and plant configuration, improve process design through research and design review, and sharpen capital estimates through direct vendor feedback and informed equipment selection. The ideal candidate will have strong TEA experience for highly integrated industrial processes, hands-on process engineering experience in an industrial setting, and the ability to communicate complex numerical results clearly to leadership, investors, and external reviewers. This full-time position can be based in Brighton, Colorado or performed remotely, and reports to the Process Modeling Lead.

Responsibilities Include:

• Use and develop internal process modeling tools to guide the selection of operating points for the ZCS demo and production facilities based on operating cost, capital cost, and energy efficiency
• Continuously update and refine ZCS process models based on design improvements, operational data, and material advances, including running and optimizing our Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM) model
• Translate Aspen process models into an Excel output that generates the system equipment list, equipment sizing (max/min/nominal), stream list, pipe sizing, power demand, and stream tables, and automate it using VBA or similar tools to rapidly populate vendor-ready equipment specification sheets and run self-consistency checks
• Work with appropriate personnel to translate model outputs into Aspen Capital Cost Estimator (ACCE) and related cost estimation tools, and diligently compare internal capital estimates against those generated by external design firms
• Use ACCE estimates and vendor quotes to specify equipment and area basis costs, sizing basis, and scaling exponents for the larger system TEA model, and develop shortcut models to support quick process review and analysis
• Partner with internal drafters and designers to keep Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) aligned with the latest process model, and communicate model, process, and equipment updates to our external engineering design firm
• Ensure all design and equipment updates are integrated into the demo facility design and build, and provide insight from experience and vendor interactions on equipment selection and relative pricing to drive down capital cost and increase process efficiency
• Identify opportunities to reduce system energy, CapEx, and OpEx through fundamental process design optimization and rigorous TEA, working with domain leads in materials, site operations, and mechanical engineering to scope projects that test those opportunities and translate findings back into the model
• Collaborate with engineering, R&D, and project management to integrate process models and cost data into larger project workflows, identify critical impact variables and data quality gaps, and support Life Cycle Analysis and environmental impact assessments
• Present model findings, cost estimates, and process updates to senior leadership, investors, and other stakeholders

Requirements Include:

• Degree in chemical engineering or a related field; graduate degree preferred
• 7+ years of experience post undergraduate degree (BS + 7 years, MS + 5 years, or PhD + 2 years)
• Prior TEA experience for highly integrated industrial processes
• Prior hands-on process engineering experience in an industrial setting or chemical manufacturing plant
• Knowledge of methods for representing and modeling heat and mass transfer in porous materials
• Proficiency with Excel, VBA, Python, JMP, or similar tools to maximize the functional utility of model outputs
• Strong analytical thinking, problem solving, and troubleshooting skills, with excellent communication, reporting, and presentation skills
• Preferred: process operations and/or design exposure, with demonstrated experience reading and generating PFDs, P&IDs, equipment lists, and instrument lists
• Preferred: experience with detailed design and equipment selection or procurement
• Preferred: experience working with cross-functional teams, scoping new R&D or engineering projects, and working at a startup moving from R&D to testing and scale-up
• Preferred: experience communicating complex numerical results to a non-technical audience

$145,000 - $165,000 a year

Zero Carbon Systems is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Your Right to Work
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.