Plant Operator (Contract)

About the role

You have the opportunity to help MZT at a pivotal point in our company's history - our transition from an early-stage R&D startup into a product offering, revenue-generating company poised to rapidly scale our direct-air capture technology across the world.

MZT is offering a role, on a contract basis,  for Operations Support Engineer with skills in machinery maintenance and equipment reliability improvement programmes, ideally with experience in repair and servicing of absorption, scrubbing, gas-liquid separation systems, and/or electrodialytic processes. In this role you will operate and service our first technology deployments at industrial scale.

Inheriting MZT product modules designed and built by our delivery team, you will assist in executing our pilot plant experimental plans, paying particular attention to breakdowns and problem solving, learning the key reliability weak points of our technology in extended operation.

The role is a site-based role in our Norfolk premises with some time at our labs and offices in East London and potential travel to our customer sites across the UK. This will require you to show safe and effective operational and maintenance standards while working in rotational shifts with existing MZT science & engineering staff members.

Reporting to the Plant Operations Manager, key partners will include electromechanical, control and process engineers. You will also collaborate closely with the R&D team around specific product development.

What you'll be doing

• Operating and servicing MZT plant at our first industrial Pilot Plant, Norfolk - the UK’s first ever deployment of carbon negative DAC technology. 

• Conducting safe start-up for our MZT DAC modules.

• Maintain and report on sustained operations over months of plant operations.

• Following and demonstrating our at-site Health & Safety culture.

• Assisting with execution of the pilot plant experimental plan in liaison with our Plant Operations Manager.

• Reporting back on unit performances, especially regular failure modes and input ideas  for product improvement.

• Troubleshooting issues that arise, with good record keeping for required interventions to be passed back to the product improvement team.

• Get involved in failure analysis, using multiple methodologies to find root causes and propose improvement plans

• Executing maintenance routines.

• Deputising for the Plant Operations Manager in inducting site visitors if needed.    
  
  

• Interest in developing skills in an exciting start-up, new technology environment, where you can rapidly grow your experience.

• Experience in operations and maintenance especially commissioning, start-up and maintenance of a variety of process plants.

• Experience operating and repairing plants in challenging environments.

• A passion for optimising technical solutions.Strong understanding of Reliability, Availability, Maintenance / OEE. 

• Clear communication skills.

• Functional understanding of chemical, electrical, mechanical portions of various unit operations such as gas-liquid contacting, water treatment, membrane processes.

• ≥2 years experience in chemical industry

• Experience running and repairing Research & Development pilot facilities

• Suitable safety accreditation e.g. NEBOSH

• Lean operational certificate, e.g. six sigma or equivalent

• Continuous improvement training / programme experience.

• Experience across several processing industries

• Experience working with absorption, scrubbing, continuous gas-liquid systems and/or electrodialysis.

• Engineering Level 2 qualification.

• Good understanding of hazard and risk identification 

• Basic understanding of electrochemistry and industrial chemistry knowledge.

• Familiarity with servicing of processes handling industrial gases, especially CO2.

• 30 days of Annual Leave
• 3 months Paternity/Maternity Leave
• £500 annual Personal Development Grant
• Unlimited mental health support
• Employee Share Options Scheme
• Christmas holidays office closure
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employer-matched contributions to global re-wilding programme
• Opportunities to directly impact where our company is headed
• A high-growth, high-trust environment that encourages bold creativity

At Mission Zero, we value diversity of cultural backgrounds, experience, and perspectives, and leverage these qualities to create exceptional outcomes. We are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, sex, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related condition, or any other basis as protected by applicable law. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation.

Kindly allow us up to 2 weeks to review your application. Providing both of our schedules align, the total hiring process should take 4-6 weeks total to wrap up.

• Application review
• Intro Call (45 Mins)
• Getting to know you - (Partner Assessment)
• Interview with Plant Operations Manager & Function Lead + Exercise