Sr. Process Engineer - Technology Transfer

SunGas Renewables Inc.; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Paid time off

Performance incentives

Career development

Job summary

SunGas Renewables Inc. in Houston seeks a Senior Process Engineer – Technology Transfer to bridge SunGas U.S. engineering with a China-based project team, ensuring design intent and IP protection during transfers.

The role requires coordinating PDPs, licensing, and commissioning support across international teams, with travel up to 50% and fluency in Mandarin and English essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with 10+ years of experience or Master’s with 8+ years.
• Fluency in Mandarin and English, written and spoken technical communication.
• Experience developing PDPs, licensing, or licensed technology deployments is highly desirable.
• Experience supporting technology transfer across international teams and EPC contexts.
• Willingness to travel internationally and work in both US and China environments.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical interface between SunGas U.S. and China-based project teams.
• Communicate complex process, safety, and operating concepts across boundaries.
• Safeguard design intent and IP through design, commissioning, startup, and testing.
• Oversee localization of engineering deliverables for China with Chinese standards.
• Lead technology-transfer activities, including documentation, training, and licensing.
• Review process design deliverables in Chinese and English for compliance and gaps.
• Coordinate with vendors and other engineering disciplines; support testing and QA.
• Lead and participate in HAZOP/HAZID and other process-safety reviews.

Skills

Process engineering

PFD/PID development

Heat & material balances

Equipment specifications

Process integration

Hydraulic calculations

Relief/hazard calculations

Process controls

Mentoring engineers

Documentation review

Education

Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering

Master's degree in chemical engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

Job description

Position Summary

SunGas Renewables Inc. (“SunGas”) is an energy technology company that converts sustainably sourced biomass into renewable synthesis gas to produce low-carbon fuels and chemicals. Through its proprietary gasification technology, SunGas provides the engineering, technical know-how and support required to develop, construct, and operate projects based on its renewable syngas platform. The Senior Process Engineer – Technology Transfer plays a central role in transferring SunGas’ technology, design intent, engineering standards, and operating knowledge from its U.S. team to a China-based partner that will interface with engineering partners, EPC contractors, equipment suppliers, and plant personnel to successfully design, build, commission, and operate a project in China using SunGas’ technology.

The engineer safeguards SunGas’ design intent and intellectual property throughout the technology-transfer process while supporting process design, technical reviews, engineering localization, commissioning, startup, performance testing, and troubleshooting. Success in the role requires close collaboration with both U.S. and China-based teams to ensure the project is delivered safely, reliably, and in accordance with SunGas’ requirements. Professional fluency in spoken Mandarin Chinese and English is essential.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical interface between SunGas U.S. engineering team and a China-based project team.
• Communicate complex process, safety, and operating concepts across technical, cultural, and organizational boundaries.
• Safeguard SunGas’ design intent and intellectual property through process design, technical reviews, commissioning, startup, performance testing, and troubleshooting
• Oversee the technical integrity of localized engineering deliverables for use in China, including translation, unit conversion, and adaptation to applicable Chinese engineering standards and conventions.
• Lead technology-transfer activities covering process design packages, engineering standards, operating philosophies and procedures, training materials, technical documentation and knowledge-transfer systems, licensing requirements, and intellectual-property protection protocols.
• Review engineering deliverables and technical documentation in both Chinese and English for compliance with SunGas process requirements, engineering standards, and design intent; identify risks, close technical gaps, and track corrective actions.
• Review process design, including heat and material balances, process design criteria, process modeling, PFDs and P&IDs, equipment sizing and selection, equipment and instrument data sheets, hydraulic analysis, line lists, control-valve sizing, and flare and relief calculations.
• Ensure process requirements for equipment and systems are defined properly; review vendor data; coordinate detailed design with mechanical, instrumentation and controls, piping, electrical, and other engineering disciplines; support vendor qualification and factory acceptance testing.
• Lead and participate in technical, operability, constructability, and process safety reviews, including HAZOP and related hazard-analysis activities; maintain disciplined peer checks, revision control, and documentation of design inputs.
• Work alongside the China-based partner, interfacing with Chinese EPC contractors, equipment suppliers, and operating teams to resolve issues and maintain schedule, quality, safety, environmental compliance, and adherence to SunGas requirements.
• Provide site support for pre-commissioning, commissioning, startup, operator training, performance testing, plant operations, and troubleshooting, including extended assignments in China as project needs require.
• Analyze process and operating problems and develop practical actions that improve safe, reliable, efficient plant performance.
• Communicate milestones, risks, opportunities, and recommended decisions to project managers and senior leadership.
• Maintain and improve SunGas process design methodologies, procedures, calculation tools, and lessons learned; support productive relationships with customers, strategic partners, government agencies, and other project stakeholders in China.

Technical Knowledge and Capabilities

• Demonstrated senior-level process engineering capability in system design, heat and material balances, equipment specification, process integration, PFD/P&ID development, hydraulic and relief-system calculations, process controls, and multidisciplinary project execution.
• Familiarity with one or more of the following, with the ability and willingness to develop expertise in additional areas: fluidized beds, solids handling, biomass conversion and gasification, steam methane reforming, oxy-combustion, carbon capture, methanation or fuels synthesis, thermal integration, and novel syngas-based process technologies.
• Experience with EPC and systems-engineering workflows from both technology-provider and client perspectives, including vendor document review, engineering package development, field support, and plant operations.
• Ability to influence decisions without direct authority, facilitate technical workshops and training, mentor engineers and operators, and present clearly to clients and senior stakeholders.
• Familiarity with AutoCAD, Bluebeam, or comparable tools for reviewing, redlining, and updating P&IDs is preferred. HAZOP, HAZID, project-management, process-control, or plant-operations training is advantageous.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with at least 10 years of relevant experience, or master’s in chemical engineering with at least 8 years of relevant experience.
• Native or professional business-level fluency in Mandarin Chinese and English, including written and spoken technical engineering communication.
• Experience developing process design packages (PDPs), supporting technology licensing and licensed process deployment, or providing technical oversight of licensed technology implementations, including interfaces with licensees, EPC contractors, operating companies, and other technology providers, is highly desirable.
• Experience supporting the development, engineering, or deployment of process technologies, with exposure to one or more areas such as process design, commissioning and startup, operational improvement, international technology transfer, technology licensing, and intellectual-property protection.
• United States citizen with legal authorization to work for SunGas without sponsorship; able to travel internationally and work effectively in both U.S. and Chinese business environments.

Work Environment, Compensation, and Culture

This is a full-time, primarily office-based position at SunGas’ Houston office (10713 W Sam Houston Pkwy N., Houston, TX 77064). Travel to China is expected approximately up to 50% of the time, depending on project phase. SunGas offers competitive compensation and benefits, including health, dental, vision, life, short- and long-term disability coverage, 401(k), paid time off, an employee assistance program, discretionary annual incentives, and career-development opportunities. SunGas maintains a collaborative, transparent, practical culture focused on safely deploying low-carbon technology.

Equal Employment Opportunity

SunGas Renewables, Inc., a subsidiary of C2X and GTI Energy, is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and provides equal consideration to qualified applicants in accordance with applicable law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation may contact [e-mail].