Senior Chemical Process Engineer at Rise Reforming | Y Combinator

Senior Chemical Process Engineer

$125K•Chicago, IL, US / Wheaton, IL, US

We’re looking for a process engineer with 5+ years of experience in scaling catalytic technologies to pilot and beyond. You will play a central role in designing, constructing, and commissioning our pilot unit and subsequently designing our first commercial unit. 

Required core competencies:

• Procuring, integrating, operating, and fixing pilot-scale equipment; 
• Pilot chemical plant commissioning and operation;
• Experience with recycling loops;
• Experience with gas-to-liquids processes (syngas-to-methanol preferred);
• Collaboration with EPCs in overseeing FOAK commercial unit design;
• Experience with Aspen or other process simulation software.

Preferred qualifications:

• PLC/SCADA design and integration;
• Experience working with modular systems; 
• Experience working in a fast-paced startup environment.

As Rise Reforming scales, this role is expected to grow into a VP of Engineering or Chief Engineer position, leading a team of process and project engineers across multiple commercial deployments. Senior Chemical Process Engineer will report to the CTO.

Compensation: $125,000+/year + stock options + performance bonus + benefits (health insurance, 401k).

Location: In person, Chicago, IL and Wheaton, IL.

Must have a car.

Geopolitical conflicts and natural disasters frequently expose the vulnerability of the American chemical industry. The reason? Production is centralized and fossil fuel-dependent. The solution? Localized production using an undervalued resource: biogas. The US produces enough biogas to make over $20 bn/y worth of chemicals, but 60% is wasted in low-margin applications or flared altogether.

Rise Reforming is commercializing a modular process to transform this underutilized biogas on-site into cheap, supply-secure chemicals like dimethyl ether (DME) and methanol. We're doing our pilot project at a Chicagoland wastewater plant. This will be the first wastewater biogas-to-methanol demo in the Americas. Join us!