Arbor Energy
R&D Process Engineer
El Segundo, CA · Senior
Sponsorship not specified$20k-$40kDetected 70 days ago
PythonMATLABExcelHardware DesignPower ElectronicsLeadershipProblem SolvingAspen HYSYSProcess Simulation
About the role
- We're looking for an R&D Process Engineer to bring process engineering rigor to Arbor's fast-paced R&D programs-turning ambitious test plans into operating reality on first-of-a-kind hardware.
- Our current center of gravity is a high-pressure gasification program operating at conditions never before attempted at any scale, on an aggressive path to commercial operation.
- This is hands-on, high-stakes engineering work on first-of-a-kind technology at the frontier of carbon-negative baseload power.
Responsibilities
- Own the process engineering deliverables for R&D test stand design-design basis, process flow diagrams, heat and material balances, equipment and line sizing, and supporting calculations that take a new test rig from concept to ready-to-run.
- Develop and maintain steady-state and dynamic process models to predict performance, explore design space, and inform test planning across active R&D programs.
- Translate test campaign objectives, set by gasification and test engineers, into P&IDs, control narratives, instrument specifications, and safe operating envelopes-bringing rigorous process design to ambitious experimental plans.
- Lead root-cause investigations on fouling, plugging, erosion, instability, and other off-design behavior in a challenging high-temperature, high-pressure service
- drive corrective actions through to verified resolution.
- Develop operating procedures, run sheets, and startup/shutdown sequences, and participate in process hazard analyses (PHA/HAZOP) as the test program evolves.
- Lead root-cause investigations on fouling, plugging, erosion, instability, and other off-design behavior in a challenging high-temperature, high-pressure service; drive corrective actions through to verified resolution.
- We build for tomorrow, ensuring every bolt we tighten and every hand we lend leaves our environment stronger than we found it.
- Solving global energy challenges requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and we are committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve.
- Our hiring process is designed to be accessible, fair, and focused on the work that matters most for this role.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Aerospace, or related Engineering field.
- 5+ years of hands-on process engineering experience, with meaningful time spent in an R&D, pilot plant, or test stand context.
- Comfort with commercial process simulation tools (Aspen HYSYS, Symmetry, or equivalent), including both steady-state and dynamic simulation.
- Willingness and ability to travel to Arbor's test site in San Bernardino, CA (approximately 20-40%, weighted toward active campaign windows).
- Highly self-driven, with the ability to identify technical mysteries and pursue them to root cause when operating with loose guidance.
Nice to have
- Hands-on operating experience in a pilot plant, test stand, hardware startup, national lab pilot program, or aerospace test cell environment.
- Programming or scripting proficiency for data reduction and custom analysis (Excel, Python, MATLAB, or similar).
- Experience with supercritical CO₂, high-pressure (100+ bar) systems, or power generation.
- Background in startup, R&D, or first-of-a-kind hardware development environments.
- 12+ company holidays, including Earth Day!
Compensation
- $140,000 - $155,000 USD/year.
- The salary is subject to the applicant's skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.
- Annual learning and development stipend
Benefits
- Pre-IPO stock options
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance (Arbor covers 90% for employees)
- Basic life insurance fully covered
- Health savings account (HSA) with matching
- Flexible savings account (FSA)
- Commuter benefits
Company info
- At Arbor Energy & Resources Corporation ("Arbor Energy"), we're creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them. Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions-modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today's energy demand. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale.
- Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in. While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we're applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.
- If you share our values and are drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we'd love to learn more about you. Come build what the future will run on.
- Steward our planet: We build for tomorrow, ensuring every bolt we tighten and every hand we lend leaves our environment stronger than we found it.
- At Arbor Energy & Resources Corporation ("Arbor Energy"), we're creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them.
- Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions-modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today's energy demand.
- At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale.
- Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in.
- While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we're applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.
- If you share our values and are drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we'd love to learn more about you.
- Come build what the future will run on.
- Lead with Love: We champion the success of our people, partners, and planet, nurturing excellence through camaraderie and rigor.
- Explore the Uncharted: We embrace the unknown with curiosity, using courage and discipline to transform uncertainty into opportunity.
Equal opportunity
- Arbor Energy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
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This listing is sourced directly from Arbor Energy's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.