Senior Process Engineer

Adiabatic Materials | Somerville, MA

Reinvent chemistry. Decarbonize industry. Electrify the future.

Today, most chemicals are still made with heat from fossil fuels in energy‑intensive, polluting processes. Adiabatic Materials has developed a fundamentally new approach: an electrochemical synthesis platform that uses clean electricity instead of heat. The platform grew out of 15 years of Harvard research and has been demonstrated for a broad range of chemicals. Adiabatic recently spun out of Harvard and is scaling its operations in the Boston area.

We're a small, early‑stage team working on hard, meaningful problems. If you get energy from making things actually work and want your contributions to directly shape a company's trajectory, this could be a great fit.

• You’ll be the process engineering anchor. You’ll be the technical owner of all process engineering work, complementing a science‑focused CSO and working directly with the founders.
• Direct strategic impact. Scale‑up progress is one of three milestone categories required to unlock our next financing round.
• Real ownership. As one of our first employees, you’ll define the role as much as fill it, influencing technology direction, team building, and long‑term strategy.
• Hands‑on and intellectually deep. You’ll build experimental and production setups, run experiments, and troubleshoot at the bench, while also thinking about process architecture, TEA, and scale‑up strategy.
• Equity and upside. You’ll share in the value you help create, alongside a mission‑driven team that cares about science and sustainability.

We’re looking for a Senior Process Engineer who can turn proven chemistry into a real, scalable process. This is a technical leadership position with hands‑on expectations. The near‑term job is to own the path from bench‑scale results to early production that works, driving a 100x to 1000x capacity increase over the first 12 months.

• Process Architecture & Scale‑Up: Map the full process at block‑flow level, work with the CSO to separate proven chemistry from engineering risk, and deliver a documented scale‑up strategy with clear decision criteria within the first 3 months.
• Hands‑On Process Development: Build or modify flow loops and reactor rigs personally, establish SOPs, run structured DOE campaigns, and demonstrate stable continuous operation.
• Scale‑Up & Equipment: Select reactor and separation configurations, source equipment (off‑the‑shelf preferred, light fabrication when needed), and lead design and commissioning of the early production system.
• QA/QC & Safety: Own process robustness, reproducibility, and documentation. Contribute to HAZOP‑style reviews and operate within Greentown Labs’ safety environment.
• Techno‑Economic Assessment: Translate process performance into cost drivers, run TEAs, and provide defensible assumptions for investor conversations.

Many strong candidates don’t fit a standard blueprint. If you bring relevant experience and are excited about what we’re building, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t check every box.

• PhD in chemical engineering, electrochemistry, or a closely related field (or BS/MS with additional process development experience)
• At least 3 to 4 years of post‑PhD hands‑on process development experience (not purely academic)
• Direct experience scaling chemical or electrochemical processes from bench to pilot (10x to 100x+)
• Familiarity with multi‑step synthesis, separation, and recycle loop design
• Hands‑on rig building and modification experience
• Experience in reactor selection, mass/heat transfer, mixing, and separations

• Exposure to techno‑economic analysis (don’t need to be an expert, but should think in cost drivers)
• Experience with biphasic reaction systems, flow reactors, or electrochemical processes
• Familiarity with Aspen, COMSOL, or similar modeling tools

• Builder mentality:
  Plan A is always the simplest thing that could work
• Comfortable with ambiguity and startup pace; you don’t need a fully defined playbook
• Genuine collaborator who works well alongside a science‑focused CSO and founding team
• Rapid learner who internalizes new domains quickly
• Clear communicator who can explain engineering decisions to non‑engineers

• Location:
  
  In‑person at Greentown Labs, Somerville, MA
• Work style:
  Flexible, family‑friendly schedule with occasional travel
• Compensation: $110K to $150K/year, plus meaningful equity and benefits (negotiable)

Please submit your resume and include a few sentences about why you’re excited about Adiabatic and how this role aligns with your experience. This is also an opportunity to highlight experiences that you feel are particularly relevant for the role. This doesn't need to be a formal cover letter; we just want to understand what motivates you.