Mechanical Engineer

About the role

We are looking for a Mechanical Engineer to take ownership of the kiln at our demonstration plant. The kiln is a core part of our technology, and getting it to run reliably at industrial scale is one of the biggest engineering challenges we have. You will operate it, tune it, maintain it and upgrade it, along with the ancillary systems around it: gas handling, solids and dust handling, and the automation and electrical systems that run them.

You will not be confined to the kiln. The rest of your time will be spent on work across the site, from design and installation through to procurement, contractor management, commissioning and day-to-day operations.

This is a practical, field-engineering role. We care far more about what you have actually built, run and repaired than about where you studied. First-of-a-kind equipment does not come with a manual, so we need someone who can think their way around a problem and then go and fix it.

Key responsibilities

• Operate, fine-tune and troubleshoot the kiln and its ancillary systems to hit throughput, temperature and product quality targets.
• Own kiln maintenance, including preventive maintenance schedules, spares, wear parts, seals, drives, heating and gas handling.
• Work with the automation and electrical systems around the kiln to improve control, reliability and data capture.
• Feed what you learn on the demonstration plant into the design of our commercial-scale kilns.
• Scope, design and deliver upgrades and capital projects, from concept through CAD, drawings and bills of materials to installation and commissioning.
• Manage equipment procurement, contractors and consultants through to a working outcome.
• Support design and install work across the site, spanning mechanical, electrical, automation and process.
• Get hands on during commissioning and operating campaigns, including general operations and maintenance duties outside your own area.
• Diagnose and resolve equipment problems, working through to root cause rather than the quick fix.
• Work safely and help maintain a strong safety culture in a plant handling acids, hydrogen and other hazardous materials.

About you

• A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Five or more years in a hands-on engineering role, ideally on complex projects or in a processing or plant environment.
• Proficient in CAD. You can design parts and large assemblies, produce drawings and back them up with calculations.
• Comfortable reading and interpreting P&IDs and engineering drawings.
• Proven troubleshooting and fault-finding on operating equipment. You can point to specific things you have run, fixed or improved.
• Experience commissioning new equipment and bringing systems online.
• Strong safety awareness and a genuine commitment to safe working practices.
• Happy to spend a large part of your time on the plant floor, in PPE, doing the work.
• Self-directed. You can manage and prioritise your own workload without close supervision.

About us

Zethos is a growing team of around 20 people. We have developed a cleaner way to recover zinc and other critical metals from electric arc furnace dust, a by-product of steelmaking that is currently landfilled or processed in high-emissions kilns. Our demonstration plant in Bromley is running, and our first commercial plant is being developed in the United States with a major steelmaking partner.