Principal Engineer

Closing Date: 30th April 2026 Location: Bristol Job Title: Principal Process Engineer Job Type: Full time; on-site Salary: £75K+ dependent on experience About the Role This is the senior engineering leadership role in our pilot programme. You will own the build, commissioning, and scale-up of ChemR from PDU through to full pilot scale — leading the engineering team, driving the scale-up R&D programme, and ensuring the process engineering function operates to the highest technical standards. You will lead a multi-disciplinary team of engineers and technicians, reporting to the Engineering Director and working closely with the CTO on scale-up strategy and technical programme direction. This role demands both technical depth and programme leadership. You need to be credible in the plant, authoritative on process safety, and capable of thinking strategically about where the technology needs to go next. About Uplift360 Uplift360 is transforming how aerospace, defence and industrial sectors recover and reuse high-value composite waste. Our proprietary ChemR technology chemically regenerates carbon fibre — producing a high value material ready for reintegration into the market. In February 2026 we closed a €7.4M seed round led by Extantia, with investment from the NATO Innovation Fund, Promus Ventures and Fund F. We work with Babcock on Eurofighter Typhoon end-of-life recovery, Leonardo on Merlin helicopter blade regeneration, and RollsRoyce. We were named one of Tech Nation’s Top 25 Climate Tech Companies to Watch in 2026. We are commissioning our first pilot-scale processing line in Bristol and preparing for the scale-up programme that follows. This hire leads that journey. What You’ll Do: Pilot Programme Leadership • Lead the build, commissioning, and development of ChemR pilot plant assets — from pre-pilot to full pilot scale and beyond — owning the engineering programme end to end • Define the engineering milestones and work packages that underpin the scale-up programme, ensuring clear objectives, accountable ownership, and on-time delivery • Work with the Engineering Director and CTO to align the pilot engineering programme with the broader technology strategy and Series A readiness requirements • Represent the engineering function in leadership discussions — communicating technical progress, risks, and decisions clearly to non-specialist audiences Scale-Up R&D Engineering • Lead the engineering interface between lab-scale process knowledge and pilot-scale implementation — ensuring scale-up decisions are technically grounded and defensible • Work closely with the Process Development Engineer to ensure experimental programmes generate the process knowledge needed to underpin scale-up design decisions • Think ahead on scale-up implications — ensuring design decisions made at pilot scale don’t create problems at full scale • Drive continuous improvement in process performance and plant reliability, drawing on data from experimental programmes and operational experience Process Design & Engineering Authority • Own process engineering documentation across the pilot programme: P&IDs, PFDs, mass and energy balances, equipment specifications • Serve as the technical authority on process design decisions — the person the team and leadership turn to when engineering judgement is needed • Specify and oversee auxiliary process equipment — pumps, heat exchangers, vessels, pipework — appropriate to ChemR process conditions • Ensure engineering designs are buildable, maintainable, and scalable — not just technically correct on paper Process Safety • Lead and chair HAZOP studies for new and modified process systems • Own process safety documentation: risk assessments, DSEAR assessments, pressure relief calculations, control philosophies • Ensure the pilot plant operates in compliance with relevant regulations and internal safety standards at all times • Set the safety culture for the engineering team — safety is a design principle, not a compliance exercise Team Leadership • Line management with accountability for team and individual development, performance, and day-to-day direction • Provide technical leadership across the broader engineering team — setting standards, sharing knowledge, and developing capability • Work collaboratively with the R&D Engineer and Mechanical & Process Technician to ensure the physical plant and experimental infrastructure support the programme • Build a team culture that is technically rigorous, practically minded, and focused on outcomes These key accountabilities listed above describes an overview of the post and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable additional tasks of similar level that may be necessary and not listed. What We’re Looking For Essential • Substantial process engineering experience in an industrial environment — chemicals, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, or analogous sectors • Proven experience leading technical programmes or engineering functions — has owned a build, commissioning, or scale-up programme, not just contributed to one • HAZOP leadership experience — has chaired or co-chaired HAZOP studies, owns process safety as a discipline • Strong P&ID and process design capability — produces and reviews engineering documentation to a professional standard • Experience working across TRL stages — understands what changes as a process scales and has navigated those transitions in practice • People leadership experience — has managed or developed engineers, not just worked alongside them • Chartered Engineer (CEng) status or working toward it — IChemE or IMechE preferred Strongly desirable • Experience with solvent-based, reactive, or chemically complex process systems • Exposure to recycling, regeneration, or circular economy process technologies • Experience commissioning new process assets from design through to steady-state operation • Familiarity with CDM regulations and design for construction safety • Track record of working in early-stage or scale-up environments where the process and the organisation are being built simultaneously We are looking for someone who is technically authoritative without being rigid, strategically aware without losing sight of the practical, and capable of leading a team through the ambiguity that comes with scaling a novel technology. The Team You will join an Engineering Director, CTO, Senior Chemical Engineer, Process Development Engineer, R&D Engineer, and Process Technicians. The team is technically serious, hands-on, and building something genuinely novel. What We Offer • The senior engineering leadership role in a technically ambitious deep-tech company at a critical inflection point • Competitive salary — flexible for the right person • Real authority over how the engineering function is built and how the technology scales • Direct access to the CTO and Engineering Director with genuine influence over technical strategy • Backing from Extantia, the NATO Innovation Fund, Promus Ventures, and Fund F Why Join Uplift360? We are a family friendly company that believes in the importance of supporting our employees to find and maintain an excellent work life balance. Your physical, mental and financial wellbeing matters to us. We offer: Comprehensive holiday package: • Generous holiday allowance, with a policy that encourages taking time off to recharge. • 37 days leave (full year, FTE) including UK bank holidays. Flexible working: • Core business hours are 0900-1700 Monday-Friday. Working hours must adhere to the open hours of the facility. This role will be based at our Bristol sites (Science Creates Old Market & St. Phillips). • We’re happy to discuss flexible working options to support work-life balance at interview stage. Equal Opportunity Statement We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons. Reasonable Adjustments We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. We also offer reasonable adjustments on the job. Pre-Employment Checks As part of the application process, this role is subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks. These may include verification of identity, eligibility to work in the UK, references, and disclosure of any unspent criminal convictions. By applying for this position, candidates agree to these checks being carried out