Location: San Francisco, CATravel: ~15-20% for pilot and CMO runs, vendor trials, and partner visitsReports to: CTO
Position Overview:Hyfé is hiring a Senior Process Engineer to take our HyféRevive process from pilot to commercial scale. You will own scale-up derisking, technology transfer to contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), and the front-end engineering studies (FEL2/FEED) for our first commercial plant, working closely with equipment vendors and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms. Reporting to the CTO, you will be the technical lead connecting lab and pilot data to process design, equipment selection, and economics. The role suits an engineer who has scaled processes before, is comfortable with ambiguity, and wants to build a new category of high-value food ingredients from food processing byproducts.
Role Responsibilities:
Data and analysis. Own the flow of lab and pilot data into process design. Reconcile mass and energy balances, investigate outliers, and document assumptions so the data is defensible for design and economic decisions.
Process modeling and economics. Build and maintain the Aspen Plus flowsheet for aqueous, electrolyte, and biopolymer streams, feed yields, utilities, and throughput into the techno-economic analysis (TEA), and run focused sensitivity analyses.
Scale-up derisking and equipment selection. Identify the key technical risks between pilot and commercial scale and design lean experiments with our scientists to retire them. Lead equipment selection and vendor and toll trials, then size, cost, and specify equipment.
CMO scale-up and technology transfer. Assess CMOs and their gaps, prepare the technology transfer package (process description, critical process parameters, analytical methods, product specifications), and lead engineering and demonstration runs on site.
Front-end engineering and process design. Lead studies with engineering firms from concept selection (FEL2) through front-end engineering design (FEED), owning scope, basis of design, schedule, budget, and deliverable review. Develop process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), equipment lists, control philosophies, and operating procedures, and drive risk reviews (FMEA, HAZID, HAZOP).
Communication and external deliverables. Write concise decision memos and slides for leadership, investors, and customers, and contribute figures and process descriptions to patent and grant applications.
Requirements:
BS in Chemical Engineering or a closely related field with 6+ years of industry experience, or a PhD with 2+ years.
Hands-on experience scaling a process from pilot to commercial or contract manufacturing (CMO) scale, including technology transfer.
Experience working with equipment vendors and engineering firms, including vendor testing, equipment selection, and review of engineering deliverables.
Demonstrated hands-on problem solving in a startup or similarly fast-paced environment.
Ability to perform mass- and energy-balance reconciliation on imperfect data and to explain the accuracy and precision of common analytical methods.
Working knowledge of techno-economic analysis (TEA), including sensitivity analyses and communicating key cost drivers.
Hands-on experience with process simulation tools such as Aspen Plus or SuperPro Designer.
Clear, concise written communication, strong organization, and the ability to present recommendations that enable timely decisions.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience leading front-end engineering studies (FEL2/FEED) with engineering or EPC firms as the owner’s engineer, including PFDs, P&IDs, and HAZOP.
Experience building an Aspen Plus model for aqueous or electrolyte systems and translating model outputs into economic evaluations.
Working knowledge of design of experiments (DoE), sensitivity or Monte Carlo analysis, and data analysis in JMP, Python, or similar tools.
Experience with food, biomass, or downstream bioprocessing unit operations such as milling, extraction, filtration, membrane separation, centrifugation, evaporation, and drying.
Familiarity with food safety and quality systems (GMP, HACCP, FSMA) at contract manufacturers.
Benefits:
Competitive base salary commensurate with experience ($150,000-$175,000 plus equity)
15 days PTO, paid holidays, and year-end office closure (pending business performance)
401(k) plan
Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance
Short-term disability coverage
In-office snacks & drinks
About Hyfé:See our coverage from the World Economic Forum here.Every year, approximately one billion tons of nutrient-rich fruit and vegetable waste is discarded or under-utilized across global food systems. For processors, getting rid of this waste is costly and emissions-intensive, creating significant environmental impact with little to no economic return. Yet these waste streams contain valuable compounds that could transform the economics of businesses across the food system and help catalyze the production of sustainable chemicals and materials. Hyfé exists to change that.Hyfé transforms food waste into high-value ingredients using a label-friendly, thermochemical refining process. Our products range from bioactives to fibers, and are being commercialized to make the food we eat healthier for people and the planet. Our team of scientists and engineers brings decades of expertise from the oil refining and chemical industries, specializing in scaling industrial processes and pioneering sustainable solutions.At Hyfé, you’ll have the opportunity to build at the earliest stages of a mission-driven company, working alongside a world-class team, shaping real products, and helping define how the next generation of ingredients are made.Our mission is simple: To transform carbon we waste into carbon we need.
_________________________________________________Hyfé is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
