Process Engineer

Planetary Technologies’ vision is to protect and restore the ocean and climate for generations to come. We do this by enhancing the ocean’s natural ability to fight climate change through carbon dioxide removal and storage. Our team combines expertise in ocean science, metallurgy and geochemistry to safely and effectively scale up ocean-based CO2 management solutions. Working collaboratively with all of our stakeholders, we develop a cost-effective and sustainable set of tools aimed at protecting and restoring our oceans and climate, ultimately doing carbon dioxide removal and storage at gigatonne scale.

We are leaders, scientists, and engineers working together to embody our values: respect, curiosity & creativity, accept responsibility, and win for all.

As the Process Engineer, you will be responsible for achieving and maintaining a steady state at our trial sites and ensuring future success - enabling Planetary’s Ocean Carbon Platform (OCP) to reliably and safely remove carbon from the atmosphere.  

Core Responsibilities

Safety and Compliance:

• Adhere to safety guidelines, protocols, and regulatory requirements to ensure a safe working environment for all personnel
• Conduct safety inspections, risk assessments, and hazard analyses to identify and mitigate potential safety hazards
• Engage with our partners and work with the regulator to comply with and evolve our operating permits
• Participate in safety training programs and promote a culture of safety awareness and compliance among pilot site staff
• Foster a collaborative and supportive work environment that encourages knowledge sharing, innovation, and continuous improvement

Operational Management: 

• Working with a cross-functional team of engineers, scientists and researchers,  to achieve operational excellence by maintaining alkalinity dosing systems, including pumps, valves, piping, and remote and local control mechanisms according to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety protocols
• Coordinate with science, engineering and technical teams to implement modifications and improvements for increased efficiency to pilot-scale processes as needed
• Operate a forklift to transfer materials between flatbed trucks, warehouse and operational system
• Train, mentor and develop new site operators with regards to the operation and safety training
• Develop testing protocols, maintenance standards and procedures for alkalinity dosing systems and update SOPs as required

• Troubleshoot and resolve any technical issues during testing phases

Data Collection and Analysis:

• Collect and record data from pilot-scale operations to evaluate process performance, identify trends, and troubleshoot issues
• Maintain accurate logs, records, and documentation of operational activities and data for reporting and analysis purposes
• Collaborate with engineering and R&D teams to interpret data, generate insights, and make process optimization and scale-up recommendations
• Monitor and control process parameters to ensure optimal performance and efficiency

About the role:

Candidates for the role will be expected to be working in Dartmouth, NS for 6-8 months on site. After which, the role will transition to remote with travel to our other trial locations. While in Dartmouth, this role will be fulfilled primarily at the Nova Scotia Power Tufts Cove Generation Plant. Heated shelter, bathroom and break room facilities are provided, but site operators will otherwise be required to work outdoors for most of their shift. Nighttime and weekend shift work may be required, but will not exceed a standard 40-hour working week.

About You 

• You hold a degree in industrial, mechanical or similar engineering field
• You prioritize safety above all else and can provide examples of how you have maintained and influenced safety SOPs
• You have a track record of accepting responsibility by consistently setting and achieving outcomes (e.g. OKRs), even in low structure environments
• You have design or operational experience with processing and/or handling bulk commodities is considered an asset
• You are always looking to learn new things, are curious, an early adopter and are passionate about making an impact on climate change 
• You have experience managing engineering firms, consultants, equipment suppliers, contractors, subcontractors, and internal resources to facilitate project execution
• You have an optimistic, proactive, action-oriented approach
• You must be able to work on-site within the Halifax/ Dartmouth region for a period of 8 months and comfortable with outside and with irregular hours (including overnight and weekends)
• You are available to travel up to 25%
• Lean Six Sigma certification and experience is considered a strong asset

About Planetary

Planetary is committed to supporting and valuing the diversity of our team as well as the diversity of the clients and communities we serve. Valuing diversity means recognizing and respecting human differences and similarities - creating the context where each person can develop and bring their best self to their work and life. We are committed to employment equity and will endeavour, where feasible, to eliminate systemic barriers to advancement and/or redress the under-utilization of underrepresented groups. We are committed to equal employment and we encourage candidates from all cultural and educational backgrounds as well as all genders and sexualities to apply.