Lead Process Engineer

Thermulon is a UK aerogel insulation company developing a cost-competitive manufacturing process. We are scaling from pilot into commercial-scale production to serve European and global customers.

The Lead Process Engineer is the principal process owner of Thermulon's capital projects: an active toll-manufacturing scale-up already underway, and, in parallel, the design, build and commissioning of Thermulon's first commercial-scale plant. This is a senior but hands-on role in a small, lean organisation, working alongside a small team of process engineers, capital programme leadership, and third parties. You'll provide hands-on problem-solving support, mentoring and quality assurance across the team's workstreams, hold sign-off and due-diligence accountability for process engineering output, and keep a demanding set of technical action lists moving. The role leads technology transfer from lab and pilot trial scale into commercial production and is accountable for the core process engineering deliverables generated by the team and self.

Key accountabilities

• Understand Thermulon's strategic direction and translate capital programme milestones and Big5 (Technical, IP Commercial, Funding and People) targets into a 12-18 months process engineering plan, responding to high-level company targets with minimal guidance
• Act as the principal process engineer across capital projects, whilst contributing to the hands-on delivery.
• Apply an uncompromising attitude to process safety in design and execution; contribute engineering judgement to HAZIDs, HAZOPs, etc and drive actions to closeout, leading through influence.
• Provide technical supervision, mentoring and quality assurance to the wider process engineering team, who own day-to-day delivery of individual workstreams.
• Find creative, practical solutions to delivery challenges, drawing on relevant process technology, standards and literature.
• Own core process engineering deliverables, including process flow diagrams (PFDs), P&IDs, mass and energy balances, equipment user specifications, technical bid evaluations, FAT & SAT testing, commissioning plans, etc. Prepare technical documentation for partners, vendors, and grant bodies and contribute to process IP and patent proposals.
• Own in-house technical project risk registers and management-of-change (MOC) registers and drive them to closeout, leading through influence.
• Hold sign-off and due-diligence accountability for techno-economic analyses of process plants, ensuring they are change-managed, audited and signed off, with rigorous scrutiny to model assumptions, methodology and calculations.
• Lead technical communication to the process engineering team and cross-communicate with R&D, Commercial and Operations leads. Interface with project delivery partners and external process consultants alongside the capital programme leadership, translating their input into project decisions, and interact directly with partners and customers in a technical capacity where needed.
• Support and supervise development of equipment proposals, designs and vendor validation work, conducted by the process engineering team, and participate directly in trial campaigns as needed.

Requirements

What this role needs from you

You'll live Thermulon's Values: Safe, Collaborate, Impact, Pace, Innovate and Grow. In practice that means:

• A naturally creative problem solver, comfortable finding practical working solutions when the standard route isn't available, and able to work with high levels of uncertainty.
• Genuine energy for getting things done day to day, close to the detail.
• Real diligence and care for the integrity of models and data that the projects rely on.
• A natural mentor, comfortable developing other team members’ technical capability while they retain ownership of their own workstreams.
• Confidence building relationships and driving action across a team of engineers and scientists, and with external partners, leading by influence.
• Comfortable operating with high autonomy in a small, lean organisation.
• Willingness and availability to be mobilised to sites in the UK and/or Europe for periods during construction, commissioning, and operation of the plants.

What you'll bring

Essential

• Significant hands-on chemical process experience, including capital project delivery, technology transfer, and process scale-up.
• Demonstrable track record in the key accountabilities listed.
• Strong influencing skills, able to get action from colleagues and third parties without line-management authority.
• A degree in Chemical or Process Engineering.
• Mobility and interest to work at different sites for scale up, commissioning, and early production.

Desirable

• Chartered Engineer status (IChemE or equivalent).
• Direct experience with process hazard studies (HAZOP, HAZID, LOPA), risk management and change management processes in a process environment.
• Formal techno-economic analysis training, for example from a major energy or process company.
• Experience running equipment trials or pilot campaigns with third-party vendors.
• Experience scaling an immature or novel chemical process.
• Prior experience supervising or technically line-managing junior or graduate engineers.
• Experience managing a process development or engineering budget
• Proven leadership of a process engineering team.

You'll be supported by an internal/external mentor from the senior team or industry, with a clear progression route within the Thermulon Career Path.

Benefits

Job Type: Full-time, London-based, Permanent

Wellbeing

• 30 days holiday for everyone
• Private Medical insurance – Vitality for you and your dependents (Medical, Dental, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Alternative treatments and Travel Insurance)
• Health/wellbeing allowance - £600 per year to spend on activities which lead to better physical / mental health (it may be the gym, it may be a spa day, it may be a membership to headspace or some sessions with a therapist, you know you best)
• Ride to work scheme – new bike and equipment with the government contributing tax to help pay for it B2W