Lead Process Development Engineer

About Sorion

Sorion is re-engineering how critical chemicals and materials are produced through a mechano-catalytic platform that replaces slow, high-energy, solvent-intensive steps with direct, high-efficiency solid-state processes. Our approach enables materials that are impractical to make by conventional means, unlocking entirely new possibilities for industry and the planet. If you want your work to become real products and help define the future of materials manufacturing, this is the place.

Role Description

As Lead Process Development Engineer, you will own the design, development, and scale-up of Sorion’s end-to-end manufacturing processes. You’ll translate early R&D insights into reliable, safe, and economically viable pilot-scale operations across both dry solids-handling and traditional wet chemical unit operations. Your work will define how Sorion moves from concept to pilot production and beyond, shaping the core of our manufacturing technology.

What You’ll Do

  • Design and scale full processes from lab to pilot
    • Develop complete process packages that enable safe and repeatable production
    • Integrate wet and dry processing operations into a coherent flowsheet suitable for pilot scale
    • Determine critical process parameters and how they scale with throughput, geometry, and unit operation design
    • Design DOEs with R&D teams to map safe and repeatable operating windows
    • Document end-to-end processes with structured revision control and traceability
  • Engineer custom scale-up equipment
    • Work with mechanical engineers to design and validate custom mechanochemical scale-up equipment
  • Guide pilot builds and external engagements
    • Work with equipment vendors for both twin-screw extruders and traditional process unit operations
    • Partner with EPC firms to execute pilot plant design, procurement, installation, and commissioning
    • Oversee plant validation to ensure throughput, product quality, and safety targets are met
  • Shape culture and ways of working
    • Establish a rigorous, safety-first culture built on curiosity and low-ego collaboration
    • Play a critical role in defining Sorion’s foundational culture as an early team member

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for someone who has led multiple scale-ups and is comfortable with both ambiguity and technical depth.

  • Expert understanding of how process parameters scale in both dry and wet processes
  • Fluency in end-to-end process design: PFDs, mass and energy balances, equipment specifications
  • Experience with solids handling, flow, mixing, and preferably extrusion
  • Strong background in traditional chemical engineering unit operations (solvent extraction, crystallization, filtration, evaporation, drying) 
  • Proficiency with DOE, statistical thinking, and process window mapping
  • Experience specifying equipment and collaborating with vendors and EPCs
  • Proficiency in HAZOP analysis and inherently safe design
  • Ability to interpret analytical data (e.g., chemical composition, particle sizing, etc.) to guide process development
  • Skill in writing process SOPs and maintaining revision-controlled documentation
  • Ability to link technical decisions to commercial outcomes and long-term strategy
  • High degree of organization in managing complex process development workflows
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills across disciplines
  • Ability to thrive in an early-stage, high-ambiguity, fast-paced startup environment
  • Low ego, high curiosity, and a relentlessly resourceful spirit

US Salary Range

$135,000 - $220,000 USD/yr

Location

Houston, TX

At Sorion, we take care of our team with competitive pay, stock options, and great benefits so you can thrive at work and beyond. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers, and are considered part of Sorion's total compensation package. We cover 100% of health insurance premiums for full-time employees.

Interested? Please send us a resume/CV along with any work product you would like to share.