Pilot Plant Operator

We are looking for a practical, hands-on Pilot Plant Operator / Chemical Technician to operate, maintain and continuously improve our CO₂ mineralisation pilot plant in Nottingham. The primary responsibility is the routine production of calcium carbonate and potassium sulphate, ensuring consistent product quality, required quantities and reliable plant operation.

You will manage the full production process, including CO₂ absorption into amine solutions, chemical reactions, slurry handling, filtration, drying and finished-product preparation. You will work closely with our QC team to ensure products consistently meet specifications.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently manage routine production of GypCarb and potassium sulphate, consistently meeting specified product quality, quantities and production schedules.
• Operate the pilot plant safely and reliably, including start-up, monitoring, shutdown and daily production activities.
• Run CO₂ absorption systems using amine solutions, monitoring gas flow, absorption performance and operating conditions.
• Prepare chemical feedstocks and operate reactors, pumps and mixers for chemical reactions, precipitation and crystallisation.
• Handle chemical solutions, powders and slurries, including material transfers and intermediate processing.
• Operate filtration systems, filter presses, washing and drying equipment to produce finished products.
• Monitor and adjust process parameters to maintain production consistency, product specifications and yield.
• Collect process and product samples, maintain accurate production records and coordinate quality testing with the QC team.
• Troubleshoot equipment and process issues, carrying out routine cleaning, basic repairs and preventative maintenance.
• Identify and implement improvements to plant reliability, throughput, production efficiency and product consistency.
• Support the transition from pilot to demonstration-scale production, including equipment installation, commissioning and process automation.
• Maintain safe working practices, operating procedures and plant documentation.

Candidate Profile

• Degree or relevant technical qualification in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Process Engineering or a related discipline.
• 2-4 years of practical experience operating chemical processing equipment, pilot plants or industrial production facilities.
• Strong hands-on experience with reactors, pumps, tanks, filtration systems, dryers or similar industrial equipment.
• Practical understanding of chemical reactions, gas-liquid processing, crystallisation, solid-liquid separation and drying.
• Comfortable handling chemicals, amine solutions, powders, slurries and finished products.
• Ability to independently manage production activities and troubleshoot mechanical or process problems.
• Experience performing basic equipment maintenance, inspections and operational improvements.
• Familiarity with process instrumentation, PFDs, P&IDs and basic automation is advantageous.
• Strong safety awareness, organisational skills and ability to work independently within a multidisciplinary team.

What We Are Looking For

We are particularly interested in hands-on chemical plant operators or technicians who can take ownership of routine production and consistently deliver finished products to specification.

The ideal candidate is practical, reliable and technically capable, with experience operating chemical processing equipment, maintaining product consistency, solving day-to-day production problems and improving plant performance.

This role offers the opportunity to progress from pilot-plant operation to supporting a larger, increasingly automated demonstration facility over the next 12 months. We value practical plant operation, production reliability, troubleshooting ability and hands-on industrial experience over academic qualifications or university reputation.

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