Senior / Principle Chemical Process Plant Design Engineer, London UK

at  Thermulon

COMPANY PROFILE

Thermulon is an impact driven team of entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers developing a high-performance, fire-safe insulation material, aerogels. Aerogels are the most insulating materials known to science and we believe they’ll be at the centre of the green transition which is taking place today. At its heart – Thermulon is a process engineering company developing and scaling new chemical methodology to make aerogel powders in a more efficient manner, reducing their price.
Our 3 year vision is to successfully scale Thermulon’s innovative chemical process to produce highly insulating aerogels at a commercial scale.
Our Values
Thermulon strives to develop the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs by giving them the opportunity to learn cutting-edge laboratory techniques in a highly collaborative and dynamic environment.

Our values, we know that living our values helps us achieve our mission and makes Thermulon a great place to work. When we see values we celebrate them and we are not afraid to call it out when we need to see change.

• Impact – we know if we achieve our vision we will make the world a better place, this impact excites and drives us every day.
• Collaboration – we love what we do, we are all experts and we rely on each other for skills and experience. We pull together as a team, we are self aware and don’t always need to ask for help because we can see when those around us need some support and we lean in to that. We care about spending time with our friends and family and work in a time efficient manner accordingly.
• Growth - we are scientists and we are innovating so we are always learning. We are inquisitive. We actively seek opportunities to learn from each other, teach each other and lean into learning outside of Thermulon. We value self-awareness and the desire to learn from each other as we all grow in our careers.
• Fast pace – we can have a huge impact when we collaborate and grow together, bringing this all together means we move at a pace. We are decisive and urgent.

The role
Currently based in offices in London, but with the possibility of relocating to a future demo-plant site within 1-2 years time; we are seeking an experienced and ambitious process engineer with the ability to help us design our first chemical process pilot-line (100kg/day scale). You will work closely with Thermulon’s technical team (CTO & Senior Process Development Engineer) on the design, specification, construction and startup of a first-of-a-kind continuous aerogel manufacturing line, and will grow with Thermulon as we move to increasingly larger scales of production.

Responsibilities

• Plant design - specification of continuous chemical process equipment at pilot scale, development of P&IDs for equipment and plant integration, design of PID control systems
• Plant commissioning - delivery of detailed commissioning plans, leading commissioning and startup of plant, working with Thermulon engineers on operation and optimization of plant
• Project Development - experience in all stages of plant / project development: FEED, detailed engineering (EPC)
• Management of vendors for major and ancillary process equipment
• Communication and cooperation with company management and process development team to deliver on technical vision

REQUIREMENTS

Technical Requirements

Required

• MSc/MEng or Higher in Chemical Engineering (BSc/BASc ok for Non-European Applicants)
• 5-10 years experience in the design and specification of chemical plants at pilot and/or industrial scale
• Experience in the use of FEL/FEED engineering project management & delivery methodology
• Capable of developing end-to-end process diagrams for chemical plants (PFD, P&ID)
• Knowledge of process control systems and process optimization
• Experience in the startup and operation of pilot and/or industrial scale process facilities
• Ability to manage safety, environmental and operability reviews (HAZID, HAZOPs, SIL etc.)
• Knowledge of codes, standards and regulations
• Engineering chartership or equivalent

Optional

• PhD in chemical process or equipment design
• Knowledge of reactor and unit operation design and fabrication
• Knowledge of silica and/or continuous solvent-based processes
• Experience in the manufacturing of advanced materials
• Experience in the design of first-of-a-kind chemical process plants
• Experience in carrying out hydraulic calculations (pumps, piping plan etc.)
• Knowledge of ATEX and ASME codes
• Experience in relief system designs, PSV sizing & discharge design
• Knowledge of German or Mandarin Chinese

BENEFITS

Job type: hybrid / in-person in London office, permanent contract

Salary: £50,000-£80,000

• We are open to people who we consider to be either Senior or Principle Engineer but we appreciate these titles vary across the industry, with that in mind we have included a wider salary range than we usually would for a specific role. Please apply if you are looking for your next role in or close to this range. Most importantly for us is the specific experience you can bring to the current phase of our growth.

Flexibility (more individual flexibility will be possible on a 121 basis)

• Flexible working hours
• You decide when to use bank holidays, you don’t have to take them when they are (typically 8 of them)

• Plant design - specification of continuous chemical process equipment at pilot scale, development of P&IDs for equipment and plant integration, design of PID control systems
• Plant commissioning - delivery of detailed commissioning plans, leading commissioning and startup of plant, working with Thermulon engineers on operation and optimization of plant
• Project Development - experience in all stages of plant / project development: FEED, detailed engineering (EPC)
• Management of vendors for major and ancillary process equipment
• Communication and cooperation with company management and process development team to deliver on technical visio