Mechanical and Equipment Engineer

As we transition towards executing our industrial demo plant, we are translating our process and R&D breakthroughs into a robust, modular engineering design. You will be the technical owner responsible for sizing, specifying, verifying, and procuring our critical unit operations, mastering the challenges of cohesive lignin powders, wetting, de-agglomeration, slurry transfer, agitation, filtration/cake washing, solvent recovery, and maintainability.

What you'll do

• Perform first-principles mechanical sizing and sanity checks, and verify vendor calculations for pressure vessels, agitators, pumps, heat exchangers, centrifuges, membrane modules, and skid packages
• Act as an internal sanity-check filter and technical challenger, rigorously questioning vendor assumptions, power numbers, slurry pump head losses, and heat transfer coefficients
• Draft equipment data sheets, mechanical specifications, and material selection diagrams compatible with organic solvents, oxidants, and acidic intermediates
• Co-author Level Nine's basic design package deliverables (including PFDs, equipment lists, battery limit definitions, and 3D frame or skid layouts)
• Lead mechanical interactions with specialised engineering suppliers through conceptual design, basic design, detailed engineering, and construction
• Review vendor 3D CAD models for ergonomics, maintenance clearance, piping stress, transportability, and frame integration
• Optimise physical design, cleanability, filtration, maintenance, and partner equipment readiness to facilitate customer sampling campaigns
• Map physical battery limits for utilities and waste streams across candidate co-location sites

What you'll need

• 3–5+ years of hands-on experience handling challenging physical streams, understanding real-world failure modes of wetting, clumping, viscosity, slurry pumping, filtration/cake washing, fouling, cleanability, and equipment access
• Proven track record performing first-principles engineering sizing, generating basic design documentation, and managing skid or modular fabricators through detail design, FAT, and SAT
• Comfort with structured engineering calculations, experimental/equipment logs, and lightweight data tools such as Excel, Google Sheets, Python, or dashboards
• Professional German proficiency (B2/C1+) and fluent English
• High agency, first-principles thinker, and practical problem-solver who enjoys hands-on troubleshooting

Nice to have

• Experience with technical lignin, biomass processing, or slurries
• Proficiency in 3D CAD modelling and review software (Navisworks, AutoCAD, SolidWorks)
• Practical familiarity with ATEX equipment selection and Pressure Equipment Directive (PED 2014/68/EU)
• Experience with modular skid-mounted transport logistics