Senior Process Engineer, Manufacturing

Aether Biomachines•Menlo Park, CA

3d•$115,000 - $175,000

About The Position

Aether is hiring a Senior Process Engineer to transfer its developed and scaled production processes to contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), then make those processes reliable, repeatable, and economical at commercial scale. The engineer will lead technology transfer, oversee scale-up through initial commercial production runs, and continue supporting production through stabilization and continuous improvement. The role works directly with CMO engineering teams and in close partnership with Aether’s R&D and quality functions. As one of the first hires in a new manufacturing organization, this person will help establish the standards on which the function grows. The role involves travel of about 30% of the time. Aether engineers enzymes to make materials that are difficult or impossible to produce by other means. Its advanced print materials are shipping into defense and unmanned systems. Aether is a Series A company with a small team based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering or a closely related field.
At least 5 years of process engineering experience in chemical, polymer, or materials manufacturing.
Hands-on experience leading technology transfer and scale-up into a production environment, preferably at a contract manufacturer or with outsourced production.
Ability to work independently at a partner site and hold your own with experienced manufacturing teams.
Structured, data-driven approach to solving technical problems.
Willingness to travel about 30% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
Experience leading HAZOP or PHA studies.
Experience with polymer synthesis or compounding.

Responsibilities

Lead technology transfer of scaled-up processes from Aether’s internal teams to CMOs, including transfer packages, process descriptions, batch records, and bills of materials.
Plan and run scale-up through the first commercial production runs, demonstrating that processes can support high-volume manufacturing.
Define critical process parameters and in-process controls with R&D and quality.
Set up process monitoring and trend data across production batches to stabilize processes and detect drift early.
Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis for yield, quality, and throughput issues with quality, and drive corrective actions with CMO engineers.
Build and run improvement programs targeting yield, cycle time, and cost.
Conduct process hazard analyses and risk assessments as processes change.