Process & Thermal Engineer

About Sirona Technologies

At Sirona Technologies, we are developing direct air capture (DAC) technology to remove CO2 from the air and combat climate change. As a startup in the scale up phase, we are focused on learning from our existing production systems to inform the improvements in our next production systems, and pushing our machines to large series. And iterating as quickly as possible to reduce costs super fast.

We're looking for a talented and mission-driven thermal systems engineer to join our Machine team: a small group of engineers with a complete skill set, able to design the full machine. You will own the cryogenic CO2 chain that delivers our captured CO2 to our injection partner, and you will optimize the heat pump systems that provide regeneration heat to our machines for maximum reliability and efficiency.

At Sirona, engineers own the full value chain of their system with a strong do-er mindset. We call this the responsible engineer framework: you define the requirements, design, procure, build, test and deploy your system. Afterwards, you remain the support of the operators and you learn from them to improve the next generation.

Responsibilities

As a thermal systems engineer, you will:

• Lead the design, deployment and operation of the cryogenic CO2 chain: liquefaction, storage and transfer of the captured CO2 to our injection partner, from requirements to commissioning on site.
• Optimise the heat pump systems deployed on our production machines (heat generation around 100°C) for high reliability and high efficiency, and prepare them for large series.
• Take your subsystems through the full cycle: define requirements, design, procure, build, test, deploy, then support the operators and feed the learnings back into the next design.
• Own the risk assessment and HAZOP studies of your subsystems, with the industrial maturity to bring them to a safe and reliable operation.
• Act as the thermal reference of the team: support engineers across disciplines on heat transfer, phase change, thermodynamic cycles and related questions.
• Analyse operational data from the production machines to identify performance drifts and improvement opportunities.
• Build the analysis and design tools you need: bring your own, or better develop them internally.
• Work with suppliers and vendors to specify, select and procure compressors, heat exchangers, valves, tanks and instrumentation.

Requirements

• Master in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• 3-5 years of professional experience or equivalent, ideally in gas processing or a comparable industrial environment.
• Hands-on experience with gas to liquid phase change systems: refrigeration cycles, heat pump cycles, liquefaction.
• A system view of thermal installations, combined with the ability to dive deep into a component or a phenomenon when needed.Industrial experience in risk assessment and HAZOP studies for your own subsystem.
• Strong do-er mindset: you enjoy taking a system from a blank page to a commissioned installation, and you are comfortable procuring, building and testing what you designed.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a pragmatic approach to engineering challenges.
• Strong English verbal and written communication skills.
• Smart but humble, with a bias for action.

Nice to haves

• Experience with cryogenic CO2.
• Experience in operating or supporting industrial thermal installations in production.
• Experience with sensors and instrumentation (pressure, temperature, flow, level) for thermal and cryogenic systems.
• Experience developing your own engineering tools (Python, CoolProp or similar), including with AI-assisted development.