Process Design Engineer - Utilities & Facilities

WHO YOU ARE

You are a creative, diligent, rigorous, insightful and hands-on technical contributor. You understand chemical plant design -- and particularly enjoy working on the utilities and facilities side of the design. You will design and develop chemical and physical processes to manufacture materials needed for Li-ion batteries. You will be on a team, surrounded by individuals with diverse backgrounds, but a similar goal. We start with first principles, develop new materials, design & qualify processes for pilot scale development & commercial production, and continually support and improve our manufacturing capability. You will enjoy closely collaborating with a core team of Process, Equipment, and Manufacturing representatives on complex multi-phase, multi-year projects.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES 

• Understand specific design methodologies surrounding process utilities and other supporting “offsites” such as absorption towers, pressure swing adsorbers, thermal oxidizers, heat exchangers, compressors and safety systems.
• Design, develop, and validate chemical and physical processes utilizing industry best practices
• Originate clear and detailed Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) documents such as mass and energy balances, specification sheets, piping and instrumentation diagrams with supporting process calculations
• Research, recommend, specify and qualify equipment necessary for safe and efficient operation
• Plan & execute designed experiments (DOEs) at various process scales and perform process modeling to elucidate the underlying mechanism, kinetics, and transport of production processes
• Investigate material characteristics and process/device performance relationships to recommend continual improvement and control strategies
• Design to, and work within, and help create Sila best practices
• Analyze and present data to create understanding and deliver actionable information

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS

• B.S. Chemical Engineering or comparable with 2+ years of industrial processing experience 
• Understand asset operation and troubleshooting: wiring, mechanics, and instrument operation
• Be a conscientious, curious, and a deliberate thinker/actor
• Desire to work with/for a team and ability to solve problems independently
• Materials science and engineering R&D experience would be nice
• Proficiency with process simulation or statistical process control would be nice

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.
• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection on a daily basis
• Repetitive use of hands - light to forceful handling of material
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes