Senior Process Engineer

|Industrial & Energy - Chemical Process|Auckland

CarbonScape is moving into the most significant industrial phase of its development.
 
The company has entered a strategic investment and industrialisation partnership with CATL, the world’s largest EV and energy-storage battery manufacturer. The multi-year collaboration combines CarbonScape’s biographite technology with CATL’s industrialisation, manufacturing and process-optimisation capability, including demonstration-scale validation and preparation for future commercial deployment.
 
CarbonScape has developed a proprietary process that converts forestry by-products into high-performance graphite for lithium-ion batteries. From its pilot operation in Blenheim, the company is now building the engineering capability required to support international scale-up across New Zealand and China.
 
This is a rare opportunity to work where emerging technology, process plant and international industrial execution come together.
 
The role
The Senior Process Engineer – Technology Integration will join CarbonScape’s New Zealand Technology team in Blenheim, reporting to the Head of Technology.
 
You will be a key senior engineering representative across CarbonScape’s scale-up activities, connecting the company’s New Zealand pilot operation and Technology team with engineering activity in China.
 
Your role will be to ensure that the complete technical system works together: process intent, equipment design, operability, product requirements, commissioning and plant performance.
 
You will apply senior engineering judgement across design reviews, equipment interfaces, trials, commissioning, troubleshooting and technical decision-making. Your fluency in Mandarin and English will allow you to work directly with engineering teams, vendors and operators across both countries, accelerate issue resolution and carry critical technical knowledge accurately into execution.
 
Your responsibilities will include:

  • Providing a key engineering connection across CarbonScape’s New Zealand and China activities.
  • Representing the Technology team within scale-up engineering and technical workstreams.
  • Integrating process requirements, equipment design, operating requirements and product-performance needs.
  • Reviewing and challenging engineering designs, assumptions, specifications and proposed technical solutions.
  • Participating in multidisciplinary design reviews, vendor discussions, risk reviews and technical decision-making.
  • Supporting equipment selection, factory acceptance testing, installation, commissioning and performance testing.
  • Identifying gaps between intended technology performance and plant implementation and driving them through to resolution.
  • Supporting troubleshooting, root-cause analysis and process optimisation.
  • Ensuring operating experience and scale-up learning are captured and carried back into CarbonScape’s technology development.
  • Maintaining disciplined technical documentation, change control, decision records and lessons learned.
  • Working directly with process engineers, mechanical engineers, operators, equipment suppliers and partner teams.
  • Spending periods in China during key design, construction, commissioning and operational activities.

The person
You will be an experienced engineer with strong industrial judgement and the ability to understand how individual technical decisions affect the performance of the wider plant.

You will have:

  • An engineering degree in chemical, process, mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, materials or a related discipline.
  • Professional fluency in both Mandarin Chinese and English is essential.
  • Significant engineering experience, typically eight or more years, in pilot, demonstration, manufacturing or industrial plant environments.
  • Deep capability in at least one engineering discipline, supported by a broad understanding of integrated process plants.
  • Experience working across process design, equipment, installation, commissioning, operations or plant-performance improvement.
  • The ability to review and integrate engineering information across multiple technical disciplines.
  • Strong troubleshooting, root-cause analysis and technical problem-solving capability.
  • Experience working with Chinese engineering, manufacturing, equipment-supply or technology organisations.
  • The confidence to challenge assumptions, make sound technical judgements and escalate material risks.
  • Strong cross-cultural capability while maintaining technical clarity and precision.
  • A practical approach and the ability to work effectively with engineers, operators, vendors and senior stakeholders.
  • The ability to operate in an evolving, technically demanding and accountable environment.

Experience in battery materials, graphite, carbon processing, powder handling, chemicals, minerals, thermal processing or advanced manufacturing would be advantageous but is not essential.
 
Experience working with Chinese engineering design organisations, equipment manufacturers, EPC contractors or commissioning teams would also be valuable.
 
Working arrangements
The role is based within CarbonScape’s Technology team in Blenheim, New Zealand.
 
Regular international travel will be required, including periods working in China. Some work outside standard New Zealand business hours will also be necessary to support collaboration across time zones.
 
Apply now
This is an opportunity to make a material contribution as a New Zealand-developed battery technology moves from pilot operation into international industrial deployment.
 
CarbonScape is seeking a senior engineer with the technical depth to challenge engineering decisions, the breadth to integrate an industrial system and the bilingual capability to operate effectively across New Zealand and China.
 
To apply for this position please click on the relevant button, alternatively for a confidential and discreet inquiry contact Andrew Hickey 04 282 1562 andrew@trs.co.nz
 
Technical Recruitment Solutions has been New Zealand’s trusted recruitment specialist for industry since 1996.

Note: If this vacancy is not exactly what you are seeking, then please contact me in confidence to discuss your individual requirements.
 
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