Extrusion Engineer

Company Overview:

At MacroCycle, we’re building a new approach to plastic recycling. While plastics are essential to modern life, their production contributes significantly to global carbon emissions, and existing recycling methods fall short of delivering true circularity. Our mission is to change that. We’ve developed SolvoGenesis™, a patented chemical upcycling platform that transforms low-value PET and polyester waste into virgin-grade material, ready to be reintroduced into the supply chain. Unlike traditional chemical recycling, our process bypasses the energy- and carbon-intensive depolymerization step, enabling us to deliver a cleaner, cheaper, and more efficient solution for a truly circular economy.

Position Overview:

MacroCycle is seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Extrusion Engineer to drive operational excellence with our extrusion operations and support our mission of accelerating innovation in advanced recycling. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience and a strong understanding of extrusion or pilot plant operations, wet labs, and analytical equipment, ideally acquired through internships or full-time roles, and will be responsible for managing the quality of MacroCycle’s end product that will be delivered to customers.

This position will be working on the following tasks:

• Develop and optimize extrusion processes for MacroCycle’s upcycled PET and polyester resins
• Establish process parameters and operating profiles (temperatures, screw speed, residence times, vacuum, vent zones, etc.) for quality and throughput
• Troubleshoot and resolve process issues impacting overall material quality and performance
• Execute small-scale production to meet customer requests and pilot orders
• Develop and maintain documentation of SOPs, process qualifications, change control, and best practices
• Support equipment maintenance, troubleshooting, and upgrades, ensuring auxiliary systems are well integrated through collaboration with equipment partners
• Assist in future scaling towards commercial extrusion/production scale when applicable
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to understand and improve the MacroCycle process
• Provide hands-on support for chemical reactions at the lab and pilot scale
• Critically analyze results and present findings at meetings 

Desirable skills & knowledge include:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Engineering, or related fields. Trade school or technical certification in extrusion or polymer processing is a plus
• 2 years of hands-on experience in lab- or pilot-scale polymer processing, extrusion, or material testing, gained through university projects, internships, or technical roles
• Ideally, but not required, up to 1-2 years of bench/pilot plant/polymer processing job experience in industry
• Excellent data communication and Excel & PowerPoint skills
• Excellent team player skills
• Excited to work in a fast-paced environment at the intersection between engineering and entrepreneurship
• Detail-oriented and meticulous with hands-on work

What we offer:

• Generous Paid Time Off: 3–5 weeks PTO based on experience, plus paid company closure between Christmas and New Year’s
• Premier medical and dental insurance
• Commuter stipend and annual BlueBikes membership
• Competitive and experience-guided compensation, including equity
• The opportunity to shape a fast-growing startup company out of MIT with significant traction
• Retirement savings platform
• Work-Life Balance Culture: We encourage and protect time off—your well-being matters
• Regular team lunches and office snacks
• Access to networking events and innovation hubs in the Harvard/MIT area
• Relocation stipend for moves over 100 miles