Materials Characterisation & Quality Control

• Define the critical material properties required for performance and consistency.
• Coordinate appropriate analytical testing (internal or external) to assess physical and chemical characteristics relevant to production and use.
• Establish pragmatic QA/QC approaches focused on manufacturing control, not academic completeness.
• Where appropriate, design and commission light-touch laboratory capability to support development and quality assurance ensuring that lab infrastructure should serve production needs.

Process Safety, Handling & Deployment Readiness

• Support safe design and scale-up of powdered and particulate material processes.
• Work with HSE, operations, and external specialists to ensure:
  • Safe handling and storage
  • Appropriate mitigation of dust and material hazards
  • Practical integration into operational environments
• Ensure materials and processes are fit for deployment in real-world systems and machinery.

Broader Materials Science Support

• Provide materials engineering input to low-carbon construction and infrastructure materials used across the Pure DC estate.
• Support assessment of material performance, durability, and constructability.
• Act as a technical advisor on materials selection where climate performance, manufacturability, and operational reliability intersect.

Essential

QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong professional background in chemical engineering, process engineering, or materials science, with experience in powders, granulation, or particulate materials.
• Experience in solid handling design and control, including the ability to author Basis of Design documentation for these systems.
• Demonstrable experience taking chemical or materials-based products from development into manufacturing or scale-up environments.
• Ability to operate across both:
  • Chemical understanding (reactions, formulation behaviour, material interactions), and
  • Manufacturing and process engineering (robustness, repeatability, control).
• Experience applying manufacturing discipline to novel or evolving processes.
• Clear technical communicator, able to document decisions, trade-offs, and operating boundaries.

Highly Desirable

• Experience in chemical manufacturing sectors such as fertilisers, minerals, cementitious materials, polymers, or other processes producing a physical product from a chemical system.
• Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, or similar continuous improvement methodologies, particularly in stabilising and scaling early-stage manufacturing processes.
• Experience working with bio-based or waste-derived materials.
• Exposure to pilot plants, commissioning, or early commercial production environments.

Qualifications

• Degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Process Engineering, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Advanced degrees or specialist training welcome but not required where matched by strong applied experience.