Founding Process Engineer

Job Description

All the relevant skills, qualifications and experience that a successful applicant will need are listed in the following description.

About us

Aquora builds biorefineries that convert manure, food waste, biosolids, and other organic waste into fertilizers and renewable fuels using a set of innovative, patented approaches. The founders have successfully built and scaled companies before, and we are now executing on Aquora's inaugural commercial facility.

The role

You will be responsible for leading process design work and will report directly to the founders. You will have co-founder-level ownership of your work and the autonomy to make design decisions. Compensation includes equity.

What you'll do

• Design end-to-end unit processes, including mass and energy balances, modeling of individual and integrated processes, and multi-parameter optimization for conversion of organic waste into fertilizer and renewable fuel.
• Start from a set of input conditions and final targets, iterate through design options quickly, and make decisions based on tradeoffs in cost, reliability, safety, and other constraints.
• Lead new initiatives, such as designing and evaluating processes to extract or produce high-value products.
• Work directly with vendors, contractors, customers, and technology partners to progress projects.
• Identify appropriate resources to solve problems, deploy them independently, and build what works into the team's standard workflows.
• Use AI tools throughout your work, utilizing your domain expertise to direct them and verify the accuracy of their outputs.

What we're looking for

• BS or MS in Chemical or Environmental Engineering. PhD welcome, especially with hands-on design or startup experience.
• Comfortable working independently on open-ended technical problems.
• Genuine interest in turning organic waste streams into feedstocks for valuable products.
• Optimism that holds up under setbacks. Things will go wrong, and you'll need to regroup and find new solutions.
• We care about your grit, problem-solving approach, and ability to communicate effectively.
• Willingness to travel to project sites, vendors, and team working sessions as needed (see Location and travel below).

Nice to have

• Startup experience (internship or full-time).
• Background and work experience in biorefining, anaerobic digestion, wastewater treatment, or nutrient recovery.
• Familiarity with process simulation tools and python-based modeling.
• Hands-on experience designing, building, and/or operating pilot or commercial systems.

What you get

• You will be trusted to run independent projects and create solutions without corporate red tape.
• Co-founder level equity with significant financial upside that rewards your contributions to scale the company.
• Direct work with founders who have a track record of building successful companies. Your work on the first commercial project offers the opportunity to get in early.
• A skill set that combines deep process engineering with AI-assisted workflows and immediate real-world application, designed to stay valuable as engineering work changes.

Location and travel

This is a remote position with travel. You can live anywhere in the United States, as long as you are within easy reach of a major airport. There is no daily office commute. Instead, you will travel as the work requires: to our first commercial facility in the Midwest, to vendors and technology partners, and to in-person working sessions with the founders. Expect to travel roughly 5–25% of the time, with more during construction and commissioning. Travel expenses are paid by the company.

Compensation

The expected salary range for this role is $85,000 – $125,000, depending on experience and qualifications. On top of salary, this role comes with a co-founding-level equity grant in the form of stock options.

Work authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor employment visas (such as H-1B) for this role.

How to apply

Send your resume and a short note on why you are interested in and an excellent fit for this position to:

Please be as specific as possible and avoid generic and AI-generated responses. Title the email: "Process Engineer Position – Your Name". xhyhwjd

Equal opportunity

Aquora Biosystems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.