Director of Scale-up Operations and Engineering (San Diego)

About Phykion

Phykion is reimagining aviation fuel. We cultivate hyper-productive microalgae to produce a scalable, low-carbon oil that drops directly into the HEFA pathway — the most commercially established route to sustainable aviation fuel. Our platform is built on three breakthroughs: a field-proven algae host with 5+ years of outdoor cultivation, strain engineering trait stacking that has delivered a 10x gain in oil productivity to date, and an outdoor cultivation process on non-arable land fed by seawater and CO2 . We are scaling this validated technology into demonstration production, paving the way for commercial supply of low-carbon oil by the end of the decade. As part of that scale-up, we are re-opening our pilot facility near Calipatria, California, and building the team that will bring the site back online and run it.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced process engineer to lead the technical re-establishment of the facility and own our downstream process — the dewatering, lysis, and extraction operations that turn cultivated algae biomass into product. Working closely with the Algae Production Lead and the Facilities Supervisor, the Director will stand up equipment, define operating procedures, troubleshoot at scale, and set the technical direction for harvest and downstream processing as the facility ramps. The performance and economics established here will underwrite our path to commercial demonstration.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide general facility oversight and technical direction in close partnership with the Algae Production Lead and the Facilities Supervisor.
• Own the design, commissioning, operation, and continuous improvement of the downstream process train (dewatering, lysis, extraction, recovery).
• Lead the facility re-start, including pre-commissioning checks, mechanical and process verification, and performance testing.
• Translate laboratory and bench-scale recovery processes into pilot-scale operations with an eye toward commercial demonstration; partner with R&D on scale-up experiments and interpretation.
• Develop mass and energy balances and process flow diagrams; steward SOPs, batch records, and process control approaches for downstream operations.
• Manage technical scope with external vendors and engineering partners for new installations and modifications.
• Identify opportunities to reduce production cost and energy intensity and to improve process reliability; lead the resulting capital and operational projects.
• Champion a strong safety culture; with support from EH&S, ensure compliance with applicable safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
• Help build the pilot team through hiring, training, and development of production and engineering staff.

Requirements and Experience

• B.S. in Process, Chemical, Mechanical, Agricultural, or related Engineering discipline required; M.S. or Ph.D. preferred. Equivalent education and experience considered.
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience in process engineering, with technical leadership in downstream bioprocessing, algae or fermentation-based production, food/feed processing, or comparable bio-based manufacturing.
• Deep, hands-on experience with downstream unit operations — dewatering, centrifugation, filtration, drying, separations, extraction, and product clean-up — at pilot or commercial scale.
• Demonstrated experience commissioning and starting up process equipment and downstream production lines, ideally including facility re-start, scale-up, or new-facility build-out.
• Direct experience with algae cultivation and harvest (open ponds, raceways, or photobioreactors) is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to translate complex technical concepts for non-engineering audiences and communicate clearly with site staff and leadership.
• Authorization to work in the United States is required.

Work Location and Schedule

On-site at our pilot facility near Calipatria, CA. Standard schedule with flexibility to support a 24/7 operation, including occasional weekend, evening, and on-call coverage during commissioning and campaign runs.

Relocation

Relocation assistance available for qualified candidates relocating to the Calipatria area. The Imperial Valley and surrounding communities offer a range of housing options at attractive cost of living relative to coastal California.