Senior Process Engineer

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct bench and pilot-scale process trials for downstream processing steps, including separation, purification, and waste management
• Execute the process scale-up strategy to advance technology readiness levels to pre-commercial demonstration (TRL 7)
• Analyze and interpret data from process trials to inform process intensification and scale-up strategies
• Build and refine techno-economic models to support integrated plant designs
• Provide hands-on expertise in downstream unit operations such as filtration, ion exchange, and distillation
• Collaborate with R&D teams to integrate upstream, downstream, and recycle streams
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for external lab, pilot, and CRO partners
• Provide technical data packages to support the translation of processes into PFDs, P&IDs, and FEL packages
• Interface with vendors for the design, procurement, and commissioning of downstream process equipment

Requirements

• Advanced degree in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or a related field
• 8+ years of progressive experience in process development or production engineering
• Hands-on experience in DSP engineering principles and biochemical fundamentals for fermented products
• Proven ability to manage technical projects through scale-up from bench/pilot to pre-commercial TRLs
• Proficiency with process modeling software such as ASPEN+ or SuperPro Designer
• Proficiency with statistical software such as JMP, R, or Python
• Strong understanding of upstream fermentation processes and their impact on downstream purification
• Expertise in statistical process control and continuous process improvement principles

About the Company

Bluestem Biosciences uses American corn and existing bioethanol infrastructure to produce critical chemicals domestically. Our proprietary biomanufacturing process converts abundant, renewable American corn into high-value chemicals at scale, securing U.S. supply chains and reinvesting in agricultural America.