Process Design Engineer, Plant Design

8 months ago
Full time role
In-person · Houston, TX, US... more

About Us 

All across the world, from the azure pools of Turkey and Oman to the travertine terraces of Yellowstone, our planet quietly pulls carbon dioxide from the air and turns it to stone. For eons, Earth has relied on this process to balance its carbon cycle. What if it could be harnessed? What if we could do it faster, in larger quantities, and at a low enough cost to make it an effective tool in the fight against climate change? 

At Heirloom, we are turning that into reality. We use the natural carbon capture properties of abundant minerals to pull CO2 from the air, and store it permanently underground. We come to work every day to slow climate change, and are united behind a single, common goal - to remove 1 billion tons of CO2 from the sky by 2035, and to not stop before we get there.  

We bring together the precise recipe of science, technology, know-how, and strategy necessary to make low cost, high quality carbon removal a reality. If we’re successful, we will directly mitigate climate change, build a world we can proudly hand over to our children and grandchildren, and catalyze an industry that will rival the largest the world has ever seen. If you want to change the planet, come join us. 

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

As temperatures continue to rise, individuals from marginalized communities will face the harshest impacts of climate change.  We believe wholeheartedly that building a diverse company is critical to Heirloom’s success.  To accomplish this, we’ve put recruiting, hiring and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups at the top of our priority list. 

We encourage you to apply if you identify as Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latino, LGBTQ+ – or with any other underrepresented group – even if you don’t tick all the boxes in the description below. 


The Role

As a Process Design Engineer, you will spearhead the process design for our direct air capture projects. Your role involves leading planning and design of critical projects, including facility upgrades and new installations. Collaboration will be critical as you will partner closely with our plant design team to ensure delivery of top-tier work products for projects. This entails conducting process conceptual design, engineering calculations, reviewing detailed design drawings, and preparing technical reports and specifications. Your responsibilities extend to evaluating alternative process design concepts, working in interdisciplinary teams to create integrated designs, and working with vendors to spec and procure capital equipment. Your ability to proactively seek innovative technologies and design tools for design is essential, contributing to our commitment to sustainable development goals.


What you will bring

In your 5+ years of experience, you have led process design on multiple projects, showcasing strong teamwork within interdisciplinary teams. You possess expertise in developing heat/material balances, creating PFDs, and leading P&ID generation. Your experience includes fluid hydraulic calculations for equipment and familiarity with engineering requirements, client specs, and relevant codes (API, ANSI, ASME, NFPA). Communication skills are essential for collaboration within the design team to be able convey technical concepts and ideas within the team and beyond.

You don’t have to have every listed requirement and skill to be a great fit - you may even teach us something about what we should be looking for! If you are passionate about this opportunity and think you have the skills to succeed, please apply! 

At Heirloom we will be deploying systems all over the world in different conditions, including hot and cold weather. This role may require you to occasionally work at heights, perform repetitive activities, including lifting 50 pounds or more, and occasionally use some basic hand and power tools.

Our Principles

Radical Honesty means we are open, transparent, and inclusive in everything we do. We aren't scared to challenge each other, but bring clear motives and our best intentions when we do.

Persistent Optimism means we carry an infinite amount of optimistic energy with us on our journey, constantly chipping away at what may seem insurmountable.

Maximize our learning rate means we're always in discovery mode.  Compounding knowledge is our key to victory - we continuously hone our crafts, seek the fastest paths to new learning, and are quick to absorb new knowledge.

Why you should join Heirloom

  • We are solving the engineering problem of our generation.  Climate change is an existential threat, and we need as many of the world’s motivated minds as possible to help. There is no greater challenge or opportunity than fighting climate change. 

  • We have done this before.  We’re engineers, scientists, and concerned humans from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who are pooling our knowledge and skills to collectively build a more equitable, prosperous future for all.

  • We are a united, resilient, and optimistic bunch.  We are all here for the same reason - to slow climate change. We recognize the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us, and believe we can solve it. We can see a hopeful future where we eventually reverse climate change. It won’t be easy, but we won’t quit.

  • We are backed by the best climate partners in the world.  We’re well funded by investors from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ahren Innovation Capital, Carbon Direct, Microsoft, Lowercarbon Capital, ARPA-e and the National Science Foundation. Our early customers include Stripe, Shopify, and Klarna, and we’re building durable partnerships that enable us to tackle this decades-long problem.

Perks and Benefits

  • Robust health coverage.  Excellent health, dental and vision insurance covered up to 100% by Heirloom. FSA option.

  • Generous parental leave.  16 weeks paid leave for all Heirloom employees, regardless of primary/secondary caregiver status.

  • Generous stock options.

  • Flexible time off.  Unlimited PTO for exempt (salaried) employees & 120 hours for full time non-exempt (hourly)  employees.

  • 401(k).

  • Stay healthy.  Monthly health and wellness reimbursement.

  • Learn on the job.  Robust annual education and conference budget, including airfare and hotel costs.