Site Lead

Job Title: Director of Site Engineering

Department: Denver Operations

Reports To: Chief Technology Officer

Location: Brighton, CO

Position Summary:

The Director of Site Engineering will be responsible for the reliable, safe, and high-throughput operation of all on-site test rigs and for chemical / process engineering projects on-site. This person will lead a multidisciplinary team of on-site engineers (mechanical, process and electrical), operators and maintenance personnel, and will serve as the central coordination point between day-to-day operations, process / mechanical design, and facilities management. They will also work closely with the VP of Materials on engineering matters, including coordinating data collected at the different scales of operation, thinking through scaleup issues, and facilitating larger lab-based equipment upgrades.

This is a hands-on leadership role suited to someone who thrives in a fast-moving R&D-to-pilot environment, enjoys troubleshooting complex systems, and can balance operational discipline with flexibility for experimentation.

Objectives & Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Maintain continuous, high-uptime operation across several (4-8) active test rigs.
• Implement standardized weekly run logs, track causes for downtime / operational delays, and consistently aim to improve site operational efficiency.
• Coordinate with technical leadership to ensure all operations personnel (operators and site engineers) are properly prioritizing responsibilities and are effectively allocated to supporting the builds, commissioning, and operation of site equipment / rigs.
• Provide input on chemical engineering activities and projects
• Support lab researchers in aligning data flows and maintaining / upgrading equipment.

Rig Management & Technical Oversight

• Oversee the operation of pilot and benchtop systems used for CO₂ absorption, regeneration, and solvent or sorbent evaluation.
• Serve as the first line of response for process upsets, instrumentation drift, or mechanical failures — coordinating root cause analyses and corrective actions.
• Ensure all control loops, sensors, and instrumentation are calibrated and function within specification.
• Collaborate with research, engineering design and operating teams on upgrades, retrofits, and new rig commissioning.

Process & Experiment Coordination

• Translate experimental test plans from R&D teams into executable run schedules, ensuring alignment of manpower, utilities, and instrumentation.
• Verify test readiness through pre-run checks, data system validation, and communication with design engineers.
• Ensure accurate, real-time data capture and report back to the data-analysis and modeling teams.
• Coordinate post-run system shutdowns/cleaning and readiness checks for subsequent experiments.
• Coordinate with Materials / Analytical team to enhance efficient communication of data needs, material transfers and analytical method development.

Personnel Management

• Manage an on-site team of process, maintenance, mechanical and electrical engineers, as well as operators and maintenance technicians.
• Coordinate with VP of Materials on management of site and R&D labs.
• Coordinate with offsite Process, Mechanical and Electrical engineering teams.

SOP & Documentation Management

• Own and maintain the full library of site operating procedures (SOPs, EOPs, maintenance instructions, commissioning guides).
• Review and update SOPs quarterly to capture process changes, lessons learned, and safety improvements.
• Implement document control and revision-tracking protocols in collaboration with the Quality/EHS function.
• Provide onboarding and ongoing technical training to new hires using updated documentation.

Facilities & Utilities Coordination

• Support the Facilities Lead to ensure that all site utilities — compressed air, cooling water, chilled glycol, nitrogen, electrical, and process vacuum — are properly sized, distributed, and maintained.
• Coordinate tie-ins for new rigs, equipment relocations, and facility upgrades.
• Monitor overall site load, identify utility bottlenecks, and propose infrastructure improvements to support future expansion.
• Ensure proper chemical storage, waste handling, and ventilation practices across the site.

Safety & Compliance

• Champion site safety culture by supporting incident investigations, near-miss reviews, and PHAs/PSSRs.
• Ensure compliance with local and company EHS regulations, including pressure systems, chemical handling / disposal, and confined-space entry.
• Maintain readiness for internal and external safety audits.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Experience

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, or equivalent technical experience.
• 10 years of hands-on experience in pilot plant, process operations, or industrial manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success managing multidisciplinary teams in technical settings.
• Significant experience engaging in chemical engineering processes and challenges.
• Deep familiarity with pumps, valves, heat exchangers, pressure systems, and process control instrumentation.
• Strong organizational skills and comfort managing multiple systems simultaneously.
• Proficiency in developing and maintaining SOPs, training documentation, and preventive-maintenance programs.
• Experience with interpreting/redlining P&IDs, process instrumentation, and control logic diagrams.
• Experience interfacing with process design, data analysis, and safety engineering teams.
• Excellent troubleshooting, communication, and leadership abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with new-to-the-world, industrial scale operations.
• Knowledge of PLC-based automation systems (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, or similar).
• Experience with gas absorbers/strippers, or solvent regeneration/distillation systems.
• Exposure to small-team startup or pilot-scale R&D environments where priorities shift quickly.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift 50 pounds

Comp: $180,000-$200,000