Associate Director - Process Development

Alta Resource Technologies•Boulder, CO

27d•Onsite

About The Position

Alta Resource Technologies is seeking a Chemical Engineer to lead laboratory- and pilot-scale development of its separation process. The role manages a team of scientists and engineers and develops programs, experimental designs, process simulations and models, SOPs, and technology-transfer documents. It supports adoption of new processes at the company’s on-site demonstration plant and provides reliable data and communication to facilitate process transitions across scales. The ideal candidate has expertise in ion-exchange chromatography, simulated moving bed systems, and semi-preparative chromatography, with experience developing, optimizing, and scaling separation processes. The position is full-time and on-site at Alta’s Boulder laboratory, with occasional support outside standard hours.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or a related scientific discipline.
10–14+ years of laboratory experience in a research or industry setting.
4+ years of chromatography experience.
3+ years of management experience.
Demonstrated proficiency in first-principles modeling of process unit operations, applying fundamental engineering principles to predict and optimize process performance.
Strong understanding of chemical engineering separation techniques and fluid dynamics.
Ability to execute and troubleshoot experiments using complex chemical systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience scaling chemical processes from R&D to multi-kilogram scale.
Experience writing and participating in process safety analyses.
Hands-on experience designing and building chemical flow systems.
Exposure to analytical instrumentation such as LC-based systems, mass spectrometry, or particle size analysis.
Tangential flow filtration (TFF) and/or related unit operations.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of scientists and engineers.
Set priorities, manage resources, and deliver development programs on schedule.
Build a culture of rigorous experimentation, clear documentation, and safe laboratory practice.
Define the development strategy for chromatographic separations at laboratory and pilot scale.
Guide experimental design and data analysis across ÄKTA and other automated chromatography systems.
Develop and improve workflows, data-analysis methods, and documentation standards.
Lead technology transfer to the demonstration plant, including process descriptions, SOPs, work instructions, and transfer packages.
Partner with the demonstration team to analyze plant data, resolve issues, and drive process optimization.
Contribute to process safety reviews and scale-up decisions.
Work with Analytical Chemistry, Protein Engineering, and Engineering to align priorities and timelines.
Present results and recommendations to company leadership.