Test Validation Engineer - 260282

Primary Responsibilities

Pilot Plant Operations

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• Plan and coordinate daily pilot-plant activities to meet technical goals, project milestones, and business priorities.
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• Develop and maintain operating procedures, test records, shift logs, and other required documentation.
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• Monitor plant performance and identify opportunities to improve production, efficiency, reliability, and process stability.
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• Coordinate operating schedules, testing activities, maintenance, and equipment modifications.
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• Establish and maintain expectations for safe operations, accountability, and proper documentation.
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Testing and Process Development

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• Develop and execute test plans to optimize hydrogen and carbon production and support process scale-up.
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• Use structured testing methods, including design of experiments (DOE), to improve process understanding and performance.
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• Establish test objectives, operating conditions, data requirements, and success criteria before testing begins.
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• Review test results and operating data to identify trends, process limitations, and improvement opportunities.
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• Document test procedures, results, issues, and conclusions to ensure findings are clear and repeatable.
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• Share test results and technical findings with operations, R&D, engineering, and commercialization teams.
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Engineering and Scale-Up

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• Work with R&D and engineering teams to evaluate, test, and improve process equipment and systems.
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• Use pilot-plant experience to support the design and development of larger-scale systems.
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• Define equipment and system requirements for operation, maintenance, reliability, instrumentation, and testing.
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Safety and Regulatory Compliance

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• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure safe work practices throughout pilot-plant operations.
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• Ensure all operating and testing activities follow site procedures, environmental requirements, and safety regulations.
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• Ensure safe handling of hazardous materials, including natural gas, hydrogen, and carbon powders.
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• Follow and enforce lockout/tagout, confined-space, PPE, and other applicable safety requirements.
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• Participate in safety inspections, audits, incident investigations, and corrective actions.
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• Support risk-management activities, including Management of Change (MOC), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), and HAZOP studies.
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Performance Management and Communication

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• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to production, safety, equipment reliability, testing, and operating efficiency.
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• Prepare regular reports outlining operational performance, test results, challenges, risks, and recommended actions.
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• Identify and communicate equipment issues, technical risks, and outstanding actions affecting plant operations.
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• Coordinate communication between operations, R&D, engineering, maintenance, and EHS teams.
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Required Qualifications

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• Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related technical field.
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• Minimum of 5 years of experience in pilot-plant operations, manufacturing, process development, test engineering, equipment reliability, or a related industrial environment.
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• Experience leading operations personnel, technical projects, or plant activities.
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• Experience planning and executing complex tests and operating campaigns.
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• Ability to analyze operating and test data, troubleshoot problems, and improve process performance.
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• Working knowledge of mechanical and electrical systems, including piping, valves, pumps, motors, instrumentation, controls, and process equipment.
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• Experience with root-cause analysis and corrective-action methods.
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• Ability to identify and specify equipment, instruments, components, and replacement parts.
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• Strong technical writing, documentation, and reporting skills.
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• Ability to manage priorities, solve problems, and adapt to changing schedules.
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• Strong leadership, communication, and teamwork skills.
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• Ability to work independently and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
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• Ability to work safely in an industrial pilot-plant environment, including exposure to outdoor conditions, noise, temperature variations, hazardous materials, and confined spaces.
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Preferred Qualifications

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• Experience with high-temperature gas processing, hydrogen, natural gas, carbon materials, chemical processing, or thermal-processing systems.
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• Experience with pilot-scale process development and transitioning processes to demonstration or commercial scale.
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• Knowledge of design of experiments (DOE), multivariate testing, and other structured testing methods.
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• Familiarity with process safety programs, including MOC, PHA, and HAZOP.
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• Experience commissioning, testing, and validating new or modified process equipment.
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• Experience with Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement.
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• Knowledge of applicable industrial, environmental, and occupational safety standards.
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