Senior Technical Program Manager, Thermal Systems

4 months ago
Full time role
In-person · Brisbane, CA, 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. 

About the Role

Are you ready to take on a challenge that blends cutting-edge technology with strategic leadership? Heirloom is on the lookout for a dynamic Technical Program Manager to spearhead the deployment of our state-of-the-art R&D thermal decomposition systems and drive our technology programs forward. This role is a unique opportunity to lead a high-stakes project from inception to completion, ensuring the successful integration of site improvements, requirement definitions, and project execution.

In this pivotal role, you'll leverage your experience in managing complex, multi-disciplinary projects to oversee every aspect of the calciner deployment. Your responsibilities will include collaborating with external partners on critical tasks such as engineering design, procurement, and commissioning. You'll work closely with our technology teams to refine project requirements, detail complex and iterative design, maintain a rigorous schedule, and tackle roadblocks as they arise, all while keeping the broader strategic vision in mind.

Key responsibilities include developing and maintaining comprehensive project and program schedules, managing internal technology team scope and cost estimates, and nurturing relationships with external partners, contractors, and vendors. You’ll drive the transition from experimental learnings to scalable, deployable solutions, ensuring a smooth handover to deployment teams.

In addition to project oversight, you’ll partner with our strategy team to identify optimization levers and collaborate with R&D teams—engineering, process development, and research science—to align technological advancements with company milestones. You’ll also provide strategic direction to project leads throughout the technical development, build, commissioning, and deployment phases, ensuring alignment with our overall technology program and deployment goals.

What you will bring

Your organizational prowess, attention to detail, and exceptional project management skills will be key in driving the project to success. Experience managing pilot or industrial processes, along with a readiness to learn and adapt, will set you apart. Creativity, a team-oriented mindset, and a background in technology development are highly valued.

Ideal candidates will have a degree in Engineering or Construction Management, along with significant experience in project management, particularly in construction, technology, or R&D projects. Familiarity with agile tools like Jira and expertise in budgeting and schedule management are essential. Strong decision-making skills and the ability to turn complex challenges into manageable, actionable workflows will be crucial to your success.

If you're ready to lead transformative projects and make a tangible impact in a forward-thinking environment, we invite you to apply and join us on this exciting journey.

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.