Senior Process Engineer

About General Flash

General Flash is re-inventing the process to convert metal oxides to metal. We are a dedicated team of builders - experts in materials, physics, chemistry, process and hardware engineering - united in our goal to re-shore metal production for critically important metals. We’re looking for exceptional candidates to join us!

The Role

We are looking for a hands-on Senior Process Engineer to advance our oxide reduction process on our pilot reactor. You will design and run experiments, build a deep understanding of the process, and translate what you learn into the design basis for future iterations of our reactor. You will join a small team, with real ownership from day one.

Primary Responsibilities

• Own, and be accountable for, key aspects of reactor process performance and process design to produce metal from input feedstock materials.

• Prove and validate process performance goals and process metrics with thoughtful and timely execution of experimental campaigns. Couple experiments with analysis to further improve process yield, material quality, and process throughput.

• Iterate quickly to highlight and resolve key process challenges.

• Use first-principles thermodynamic, kinetic and transport analysis to improve process performance and satisfy goals for reactor performance across multiple materials.

• Develop and maintain mass and energy balances, process models and inputs to techno-economic analysis.

• Define process control metrics and document operating envelopes, design criteria and standard operating procedures.

• Communicate results clearly to our multidisciplinary team, translating experimental data into insights that drive reactor and process improvements; Speak with data to advocate for process improvements and reactor modifications.

• Compose, maintain, and execute to process and materials development schedules.

• Identify scale-up risks and set the process basis for future reactor iterations.

• Mentor engineers and technicians, helping them build process understanding and intuition, and develop sound experimental and data analysis skills.

Required Qualifications

• BS in chemical, mechanical, metallurgical, or materials engineering or a related field, with 7+ years of hands-on process research and development experience in an industrial setting.

• Demonstrated experience scaling a process from lab to pilot scale.

• Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics, kinetics, heat and mass transfer, and mass and energy balances, including the modeling and description of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions.

• Experience with design of experiments (DOE, screening, full factorial, etc…) and data analysis (for example with Python or JMP).

• Demonstrated experience with cause and effect (fishbone) diagrams, process flow diagrams, control charts, and/or other statistical process-control and structured analysis techniques to extract process performance and identify and validate process improvements.

• Hands-on experience designing and running experiments on high-temperature process equipment, with safe laboratory practices.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and thorough, well-organized documentation of experiments and data.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD in chemical, mechanical, metallurgical, or materials engineering or a related field.

• Background in extractive metallurgy or metals or chemicals production.

• Familiarity and experience with lean six sigma.

• Experience with powder handling and materials characterization.

• Process simulation or thermochemistry software (for example Aspen, FactSage or HSC).

• Experience with techno-economic analysis.

• Experience at an early-stage hardware or materials startup.

Work Environment and Safety

This is a 100% in person position, at our location in Cambridge, MA.

This position involves hands-on work in a laboratory with equipment that may operate at high temperatures, under vacuum, with high electrical power, and may utilize flammable compressed gases. Training and appropriate protective equipment will be provided.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary, commensurate with, and based on, skills and experience.

• Equity sign-on package.

• Mentorship and the opportunity to grow across engineering disciplines.

• Work in a small team, where your contributions directly shape our technology.

• Benefits: Employee health insurance and dental plan.

• Highly collaborative, 100% in-person environment

• Paid holidays and flexible PTO

We do not work with recruiting or staffing agencies and will not pay fees for unsolicited referrals.

General Flash Corp. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.