Senior Process Engineer - Pyrolysis

About Charm

Our mission is to return the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. We convert excess inedible biomass into carbon-rich bio-oil and inject it into underground storage for permanent carbon removal. At scale, we can use bio-oil to make fossil-free iron.

Our carbon removal efforts began in 2020 with initial purchases from customers like Stripe, Shopify, and Microsoft. Since then, we’ve scaled to thousands of tons of carbon removal, grown to over a hundred employees, and established three locations in San Francisco, Colorado, and Kansas. Join us in 2025 as we work toward putting 10,000 tons of carbon back underground!

We're expanding our team of ambitious, creative, and hands-on problem solvers. We value psychological safety, collaboration, and continuous learning. We take calculated risks and treat mistakes as opportunities to improve. If you're excited about tackling big challenges, we encourage you to explore our company values.

Come help us reverse climate change. Gigatons or bust!

• We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Process Engineer to join our pyrolysis engineering team.
• The ideal candidate will be responsible for designing, optimizing, and implementing pyrolysis process systems, ensuring efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
• This role requires expertise in thermal decomposition, fluidization engineering, and process scale-up.
• This role will work closely with a cross-functional team to iteratively improve the pyrolyzer. At all times, you will practice great engineering intuition to ensure a safe and reliable solution is implemented.

• Conduct feasibility studies, pilot testing, material and energy balances, and scale-up strategies for pyrolysis technology.
• You’ll be testing and iterating on the next generation of Charm pyrolyzers to develop process systems for biomass conversion and production of bio-oil and biochar.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, and project management teams to implement new process improvements.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations, safety standards, and industry best practices.
• Troubleshoot and resolve process-related challenges in pyrolysis systems.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and training to junior engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Like every member of our engineering team, you will occasionally be supporting our 24/7 operations via 2-3 weeks of after hours support throughout the year.

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7+ years of experience in process engineering, with at least 5 years focused on pyrolysis or thermal conversion technologies.
• Strong understanding of heat transfer, mass balance, reaction kinetics, and thermochemical processes.
• Strong hands-on experience with pilot plant operations, rapid prototyping, troubleshooting, and creative thinking to answer critical design questions.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.
• A self-directed mentality. You’re constantly balancing cost, timeline and impact when making decisions on what to do next. You can find out where you can add the most value to the team and the organization.
• An excitement for scaling up hardware that has the potential to positively impact climate change!

• Master’s or Doctoral degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with biochar, syngas, or advanced chemical recycling technologies.
• Familiarity with industrial-scale pyrolysis units and biomass valorization techniques.

What We Offer

· Stock options

· Health benefits (medical, dental, vision)

· Traditional and Roth 401(k) with a 50% match on contributions up to 6%

· Paid time off, including parental leave

· A yearly professional development stipend

· Healthy snacks and subsidized lunches for onsite employees

· A chance to pivot into a role in climate!

Visa Sponsorship Policy

Since we are a small startup, certain accommodations for visa sponsorship may not be within our capability. At this time, Charm Industrial is only sponsoring E3 and TN visas.

Our Commitment

Charm Industrial is an equal opportunity employer. We hire based on skills, experience, and passion for our mission. Climate challenges require a wide range of perspectives and expertise, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We’re excited to grow our team with people who bring unique strengths and help us improve as a company.