Lead Process Chemist

Lead Process Chemist - Carbon Capture - Nottingham, UK - Permanent

Our client is an innovative and ambitious startup organisation specialised in developing new calcium based materials from carbon capture processes. Their mission is to utilise CO₂ and waste to create, stronger, cheaper and cleaner building materials. They are seeking an exceptional Lead Process Chemist to take full technical ownership of all chemistry R&D and scale-up activities across the company. This is an amazing opportunity to join an ambitious and growing organisation and make a real impact on the future of the business.

This is a highly hands-on technical role. You will be responsible for the development, optimisation, and industrial translation of the company core chemistry — from lab experiments through to mini-plant and pilot-scale production. The role requires strong experimental capability, deep scientific judgement, and proven experience in transferring chemical processes into repeatable, scalable manufacturing procedures.
You will play a central role in defining product specifications, controlling impurities, ensuring process stability, and supporting the company’s commercial deployment roadmap.

Key Responsibilities
Process Chemistry Ownership
• Lead and deliver company core chemistry R&D, including CO₂ mineralisation, crystallisation control, impurity management, washing, drying, and product stability.
• Develop and refine reaction mechanisms, kinetics, thermodynamic understanding, and morphology control strategies.
• Design and execute robust experimental plans, including DoE studies, validation trials, and scale-up protocols.
• Review analytical data and ensure scientific validity, reproducibility, and clear documentation.
• Lead root-cause analysis for failures, deviations, and process performance issues.
• Define product specifications, contamination thresholds, and structure–property relationships for cementitious performance.

Scale-Up and Industrial Translation
• Translate lab-scale chemistry into stable, operable mini-plant and pilot-scale process windows.
• Work closely with process and chemical engineers to define mass balances, chemical consumption, and operating envelopes.
• Own chemical aspects of unit operations including solid-liquid separation, washing, drying, and by-product recovery.
• Identify and mitigate scale-up risks including fouling, agglomeration, impurity build-up, corrosion, and phase instability.
• Support development of SOPs, QC methods, and repeatable production protocols suitable for industrial deployment.

Technical Leadership and Scientific Standards
• Mentor and technically support chemists, materials scientists, and technicians as the senior chemistry authority.
• Drive high standards of experimental discipline, data integrity, reporting quality, and critical technical decision-making.
• Ensure all chemistry outputs meet industrial expectations for reliability and manufacturability

Essential Requirements
• PhD in Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, or Chemical Engineering (or equivalent industrial experience).
• Proven experience in industrially relevant chemistry development, preferably TRL 5–9 environments.
• Proven hands-on expertise in inorganic precipitation and crystallisation, solid-liquid separation, washing, drying, and impurity control.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex process chemistry problems through experimental and analytical methods.
• Strong understanding of CDR principles, including mineralisation and basic MRV requirements.
• Proven experience transferring chemistry from lab scale into repeatable mini-plant or pilot-scale operation.
• Good understanding of environmental permitting for waste-derived materials, including REACH and relevant UK/EU regulations