Staff Process Engineer (Process & Material Handling)

Sila; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 191,000; Full time

Job summary

Sila, a next-generation battery materials company in Alameda, CA, seeks a Staff Process Engineer to design, commission and startup critical steps in our industrial-scale plants and to begin work on next-generation technology after the first plant operates.

You will thrive in high-pressure startup environments, owning process design and optimization, collaborating with R&D, Manufacturing, Operations, and Maintenance, and driving continuous improvement with strong ownership mentality.

Qualifications

• Experience owning a high-volume production line or in a design-to-commission role as a Production or Process Design Engineer.
• Ability to visualize detailed operating plants and understand scale-up parameters.
• HAZOP, risk management and change management experience.
• Experience creating, reading, and editing PFDs and P&IDs; operating procedures as built documents.

Responsibilities

• Commission Sila’s manufacturing plant to produce next-generation battery materials.
• Be the Process Engineer for a critical unit or set of units in the manufacturing process.
• Collaborate with all engineering disciplines, operations, and maintenance teams.
• Drive design changes and control schemes for startup of a large-scale first-of-a-kind plant.

Skills

Process design ownership

High-volume production

Plant startup experience

Bulk solids handling

First-principles reasoning

HAZOP & risk management

Education

B.S./M.S. Chemical or Mechanical Engineering

Job description

Staff Process Engineer (Process & Material Handling)

Alameda, CA

About Us

We are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. Our mission is to power the world’s transition to clean energy. To create this future, our team is building a better lithium-ion battery from the inside out today. We engineer and manufacture ground-breaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of batteries, while reducing their size and weight. The result? Smaller more powerful batteries that can unlock innovation in consumer devices and accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. We're tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time every day, and together we're redefining what's possible. Are you ready to be a part of a team committed to changing the world?

Who You Are

As a Staff Process Engineer on Sila’s Technology team, you will be responsible for designing, commissioning and start-up of critical steps in Sila’s first and future industrial scale plants. You’ll also start working on the next generation technology after Sila’s first plant is running.
The ideal team member will have experience working efficiently in high pressure situations, such as plant startups, new grade trials, or turnarounds, to deliver product on-spec. You bring applicable experiences of having seen different manufacturing plant technologies, having worked with bulk solids in manufacturing, or have expert level competency in at least one chemical technology so you know what process engineering excellence looks like.

You bring a collaborative and bias for action energy to the team. You have seamlessly worked closely with or on a chemical company’s R&D and Technology teams as well as with the Manufacturing Engineering, Operations and Maintenance teams. Most importantly, you are comfortable working on new problems everyday, have an extreme-ownership mentality, and have a track record of pushing yourself and your team to be better every single day.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Commission Sila’s manufacturing plant to produce next-generation battery materials
• Be the Process Eng for a critical unit or set of units in the manufacturing process
• Collaborate with all engineering disciplines, operations and others required for a chemical plant
• Expertly balance day-to-day priorities with long term deliverables
• Work seamlessly with internal teams and 3rd party vendors to drive technical deliverables
• Play a critical role in the long term vision and execution of production line improvements
• Drive design and control scheme modifications for large scale first-of-a-kind plant during startup
• Develop HMBs, P&IDs and other FEED deliverables starting at concept for the next gen plant
• Drive ideas through R&D, Material Dev, and Pilot Test Teams for at-scale implementation
• Influence others across the org and drive technical solutions
  

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Chemical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering
• Minimum of 5 years of experience directly owning a high volume production line or in a design-to-commissioning role as a Production or Process Design Engineer for a plant or other comparable manufacturing (speciality materials, food, chemicals, etc.)
• Ability to visualize in great detail and have a first-principles understanding of an operating plant
• Exposure to process design that may range from minor retrofits to new plant scope
• Knowledge of basic controls schemes and familiarity with advanced control strategies
• Experience with daily and long-term process optimization and production constraints
• Risk management, management of change and HAZOP experience
• Years of experience creating, reading and edited PFDs, P&IDs, and Operating Procedures
• Ability to determine and solve for key parameters for process scale-up to commercial volumes
• Track record of relentlessly challenging accepted practices and inefficiencies

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a laptop, copier/printer machine, etc.
• Climb stairs and walk on uneven ground
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a hard hat, lab coat or coveralls, gloves, safety glasses, and safety shoes
• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection on a periodic basis
• Move long distances and occasionally kneel or bend
• Up to 75% travel for work at new production site and 3rd party design offices during startup
• Up to 10% travel during non-startup time periods

The starting base pay for this role is between $151,000 and $191,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

Working at Sila

We believe that building a diverse team at Sila helps us amplify our individual talents. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating an inclusive environment where good ideas are free to come from anyone. We are proud to celebrate diversity and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Sila’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.