Chemical process engineer Jobs in Berkeley, CA

Senior Process Engineer

At Aircapture, we're creating and scaling a circular carbon economy to solve what we believe to be the challenge of our lifetime: the climate crisis. We supply commercial and industrial customers with clean CO₂ captured directly from the atmosphere, transforming a climate threat into a valuable resource. Solving a challenge of this scale takes people with different backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking. We value those differences and believe they make us a stronger team.

We're looking for a Senior Process Engineer who can see the whole system, connect the dots, and turn ambitious ideas into fully integrated, working processes. You will integrate new processes into our Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology, looking at the entire plant, spotting opportunities, and scaling ideas from concept to production. If you're excited about transitioning clean tech from concept to reality and want to work on climate-critical technology at a groundbreaking startup, this role is for you!

This role is onsite in our development and production facility in Berkeley, California.

Please note–due to the requirements of our federal contracts, we can only hire a U.S. permanent resident or citizen for this role.

Salary: $150,000-$175,000 per year

What You'll Do Here

• Lead and contribute to large-scale process designs, from onsite R&D projects to commercial scale installations
• Own and maintain Aspen Plus process models to support design, optimization, and technoeconomic evaluation of DAC systems
• Contribute to engineering work products for overall process and unit operations including design basis, PFD, P&ID, general arrangements, process control narratives, HAZOPs, and model reviews
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams such as Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, and Controls Engineers during the project lifecycle
• Support the Operations team in troubleshooting, efficiency improvements, reliability, and data analysis
• Collaborate with Finance and Commercial teams to create techno-economic analyses (TEA) for new project evaluations
• Mentor junior engineers, including signing off on design changes, conceptualizing new systems, and technically guiding their development
• Partner with Supply Chain and vendors to spec and procure major equipment, manage timelines, and align on execution
• Maintain rigorous documentation of process designs, test results, and lessons learned to support repeatability across projects

Your Skills and Abilities Include

• 9+ years of Process Engineering experience, ideally including 2 full-cycle process engineering projects from concept through operation
• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, or similar area of study
• Proficiency in Aspen Plus (or equivalent process simulation software)—building, validating, and troubleshooting process models, mass/energy balances, and simulations to support both R&D and commercial-scale system design
• Hands-on experience with large-scale process equipment (e.g., compressors, heat exchangers, pumps, vessels) and the control strategies used to operate them safely and efficiently
• Skilled in communicating with suppliers and vendors, and managing relationships through procurement, installation, and commissioning
• Thorough understanding of P&ID standards to create, communicate, and build our project designs (PFDs, P&IDs, GAs, etc.), which vary in size and scope
• Proficiency with CAD software for process documentation (PFDs, P&IDs, GAs, etc.) is a plus
• Experience working at or with large-scale industrial companies, with a clear understanding of systems integration and operational best practices, is a plus
• Experience with government-funded projects is a plus
• Experience in an early-stage or growth-stage company progressing technology toward commercialization is a plus

Aircapture strives to create a safe, inclusive, equitable and diverse workplace where everyone can do their best work. We hope you feel welcome here.