Senior Process Engineer – Electrochemical Reagent Generation

Lilac•Oakland, CA

36d•$135,000 - $175,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Lilac is seeking a Senior Process Engineer – Electrochemical Reagent Generation to own the technical evaluation, development, optimization, and integration of reagent generation technologies, including bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPED), chlor-alkali, electrolysis, and other potential acid/base generation systems. This role will serve as Lilac’s in-house technical lead for reagent generation and will be responsible for advancing these technologies from laboratory testing and vendor evaluation through pilot- and demonstration-scale process design and ultimately commercial-scale deployment. This is a highly collaborative and hands-on position working across Technology, Engineering, Projects, and Operations to develop and deploy reagent generation solutions within Lilac’s overall process flowsheet. This is a full-time position with up to 25% domestic and international travel to pilot and project sites.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree (or higher) in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, chemistry or related field.
Approximately 4-8 years of relevant experience in electrochemical systems, membrane processes, process development, or related technologies.
Hands-on experience with pilot-, demonstration-, or commercial-scale electrochemical, membrane, reagent generation, or related process equipment.
Strong process engineering fundamentals including process scale-up, equipment integration, and technoeconomic analysis.
Strong troubleshooting, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Pass a respirator fit test periodically, occasionally stand for up to 8 hours per day, occasionally move up to 50 lbs, and wear PPE.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with BPED/BMED, electrodialysis, chlor-alkali, electrolysis, or other reagent generation technologies.
Experience scaling new process technologies from laboratory through pilot, demonstration, or commercial deployment.
Experience with high-TDS brines or concentrated electrolytes.
Experience in lithium processing, DLE, brine processing, or other critical minerals applications.

Responsibilities

Design and execute laboratory- and pilot-scale experiments to characterize and optimize reagent generation systems.
Develop a fundamental understanding of key equipment and operating tradeoffs, including reagent concentration, efficiency, energy consumption, membrane lifetime and equipment performance.
Translate experimental findings into equipment requirements, operating parameters, and design criteria for pilot- and demonstration-scale systems.
Evaluate interactions with upstream and downstream unit operations, including reagent storage, recycle streams, utilities, water balance, and waste streams.
Lead technical evaluation and due diligence of reagent generation technologies and equipment suppliers.
Critically assess vendor proposals, process designs, performance guarantees, equipment scope, and operating assumptions.
Normalize vendor quotations to enable meaningful comparisons across technologies and suppliers.
Develop structured technical recommendations for technology and vendor selection.
Develop and maintain CAPEX and OPEX models for reagent generation systems.
Evaluate technoeconomic tradeoffs between technologies, vendors, system configurations, operating conditions, and integration strategies.
Work cross-functionally to identify reagent generation solutions that provide the best combination of cost, efficiency, reliability, and operability.
Support the design, commissioning, and operation of pilot- and demonstration-scale reagent generation systems.
Troubleshoot equipment and process performance in collaboration with vendors and internal teams.
Translate operating experience into improved equipment specifications, design criteria, and operating strategies.
Develop the technical basis for eventual commercial-scale deployment.
Operate with a team-first mindset and contribute beyond reagent generation when projects require it.
Work effectively across internal teams and external vendors.
Be comfortable moving between hands-on experimental work, equipment troubleshooting, technical analysis and process design.