Engineering, Chemical Engineer, Process Engineer

Position: 0.0
Job Description

Pilot Fermentation Engineer - Decatur, IL

The Pilot Fermentation Engineer is responsible for supporting optimization projects and implementing new technologies in existing production and piloting facilities. The engineer will oversee the evaluation of alternative process configurations as well as designing and sizing of process equipment in support of bioprocessing operations. The engineer provides mass balances, PFDs, cost analysis, and supporting documentation and reports necessary for effective technology transfer.

This position is expected to work across various groups including vendors, contractors, operations, and R&D.

Responsibilities:

* The following represents the majority of the duties performed by the position, but is not meant to be all-inclusive nor prevent other duties from being assigned when necessary.

* Complete comparisons of various bioprocessing technologies in terms of operational performance and economic feasibility.

* Develop and test hypotheses to improve understanding of downstream strategies, yield, purity, and recovery.

* Evaluate, optimize, and troubleshoot processes for maximum yield, purity, and activity of desired end products through the use of key performance indicators.

* Prepare P&IDs, mass and energy balances of unit operations, and scoping and sizing of pilot equipment.

* Work with external vendors and contractors to specify, purchase, and install equipment.

* Commission and operate new and/or modified equipment.

* Perform design of experiments for bench and pilot trials focused on scale-up and scale-down of bioprocessing technologies.

* Perform research activities (small scale studies, scale-up studies, technology transfer, process development, and process derisking) to aid in the design of new processes as well as improve the performance of existing processes and facilities.

* Provide technical support during implementation of proposed changes in the field, both at pilot and production scale, including training of plant operators and writing SOPs and batch records as needed.

* Provide input to project onboarding and transfer to pilot decisions, with a focus on evaluating project readiness for transfer.

* Interact with plant engineers, vendors, and contractors to set up equipment in plant as needed.

* Support initiatives for new technology development and continuous improvement projects.

* Apply understanding of regulatory expectations to process development strategies, contribute to process risk assessments, and justify development strategies and experimental designs.

* Support pilot trials in existing facilities as needed.

* Write clear, detailed reports (both technical and monthly project updates) and prepare comprehensive presentations to summarize experimental results and transfer technical knowledge to operations.

* Maintain detailed laboratory notebooks following company procedures.

Education:

* A Bachelor's degree in chemistry or biology related science field, or a Bachelor's degree in chemical or biological engineering is required.

* A Master's degree is preferred.

Experience:

* Experience in research or operations support in the food and/or chemical industry is required.

* Proficiency with wet chemistry and standard microbiological lab techniques is required.

* Familiarity with fermentation, biological fractionation and refining processes, enzyme assays and interpreting relevant results, and statistical analysis is required.

* Experience with cGMP manufacturing operations and GLP principles is required.

* Understanding of cGMP procedures and protocols is desired.

* Experience in evaluating and/or piloting new technologies is desired.

* Hands-on experience with quantitative determination of scalable process parameters for a range of unit operations including fermentation, flocculation, centrifugation, pressure filtration, membrane filtration, and sterile filtration is desired.

Skills:

* Must possess well-developed analytical skills to analyze and interpret scientific data when designing and evaluating chemical and biological processes.

* Good written and oral communication skills to communicate with managers, engineering, operations, and R&D staff (upstream process development, analytical development, etc.) via reports and presentations.

* Strong organizational skills to manage large amounts of data and multiple projects.

* Able to function within matrix project management environment.

* Strong leadership skills to encourage open collaboration, provide technical expertise, and positively contribute to research teams.

* Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

Requirements:

* Must be willing to travel.

* Comfortable managing/participate in various projects concurrently.

* Candidate will need to work within established company and laboratory safety guidelines.

* Willingness to spend time in industrial environments, walk long distances, climb stairs and ladders, and move through close spaces.

Core Competencies:

* Communication, scientific aptitude, integrity, mechanical…