Vateris
Chemical Engineer – Pilot Plant Operations
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Location: Nottingham, UK
Remuneration: Competitive
Start Date: Immediate
Visa Sponsorship: Available after 12 months of employment, subject to satisfactory performance, business needs and UK immigration requirements.
The Role
We are seeking a highly practical, hands-on Chemical Engineer to operate, maintain, troubleshoot and continuously improve our CO₂ mineralisation pilot plant in Nottingham.
This is primarily a plant-based operational role, not a desk-based position. You will spend most of your time working directly with reactors, pumps, filtration systems, mixers, dryers, pipework, and instrumentation.
The role would suit someone with a BSc or MSc in Chemical Engineering or a related discipline, ideally with 0–3 years of experience, who enjoys practical engineering and wants to work directly with industrial equipment.
Key Responsibilities
- Operate the pilot plant safely and reliably on a day-to-day basis.
- Start up, run, monitor and shut down reactors, pumps, filtration systems, mixers, and dryers.
- Prepare feedstocks and chemical solutions and manage material transfers.
- Monitor key process parameters including temperature, pressure, flow rate, pH, and concentration.
- Carry out routine inspections, preventative maintenance, and basic equipment repairs.
- Troubleshoot pumps, valves, filters, instrumentation, and process-performance issues.
- Support installation, modification, and commissioning of new equipment.
- Collect samples and record process conditions, yields, material consumption, and equipment performance.
- Identify and implement improvements to reliability, throughput, yield, and product consistency.
- Support the transition from batch toward more automated and continuous operation.
- Maintain operating procedures, maintenance schedules, and plant documentation.
- Ensure the plant remains clean, organized, and compliant with health and safety requirements.
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Essential Requirements
- BSc or MSc in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
- Strong interest in hands-on plant operation and practical engineering.
- Good understanding of chemical engineering fundamentals and process operations.
- Comfortable working with pumps, reactors, tanks, pipework, filtration systems, and other process equipment.
- Practical troubleshooting and problem-solving ability.
- Comfortable handling chemicals, powders, and slurries in a pilot-plant environment.
- Willingness to carry out routine operation, cleaning, and maintenance activities.
- Strong health and safety awareness.
- Ability to take ownership of day-to-day plant operation and technical problems.
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Desirable Experience
- Experience operating a pilot plant, chemical plant, or production facility.
- Hands-on experience with pumps, valves, reactors, pipework, and instrumentation.
- Experience with filtration, filter presses, drying, or solid-liquid separation.
- Basic mechanical maintenance or equipment-repair experience.
- Familiarity with PFDs, P&IDs, process instrumentation, and data logging.
- Experience with precipitation, crystallization, carbonation, or mineral processing.
- Experience in a startup, scale-up, or industrial R&D environment.
- Experience supporting commissioning or process improvement.
What We Offer
- A genuinely hands-on chemical engineering role operating and improving new industrial technology.
- Direct responsibility for an operating pilot plant.
- Experience with reactors, filtration, drying, pumps, instrumentation, and process automation.
- Direct involvement in scaling technology from pilot to commercial operation.
- Close collaboration with chemists and senior engineers.
- Career progression toward Senior Chemical Engineer, Process Engineer, Production Engineer, or Plant Manager.
- Visa sponsorship available after 12 months of employment, subject to satisfactory performance, business needs, and UK immigration requirements.
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