Senior Electrochemical Stack Engineer

Job description

About the role Join MZT at a pivotal moment as we transition from an early-stage R&D startup to a revenue-generating company ready to scale our direct-air capture technology globally. We're looking for an Electrochemical Stack Engineer to develop our next generation of stack designs. Electrodialytic approaches to DAC lean on established electrodialysis designs, however these designs are far from optimal for the specificity of electrochemical direct-air capture. As our Electrochemical Stack Engineer you'll lead stack development at MZT. You'll define the opportunity areas for our next-generation stack, develop concepts that attack the biggest resistance losses in the cell, while ensuring stability and robustness, and lead the build–test–evaluate cycles that prove (or kill) them. For winning concepts, you'll scale them into full-size stacks, navigating supply chain and manufacturing constraints along the way. The role has two sides. You'll lead on the stacks we procure, assessing what the supply chain offers, judging their suitability for our process and specifying modifications where needed. In parallel, you'll lead the development of DAC-optimised electrodialytic stacks designed around our process conditions from the start. On both fronts you'll work closely with our process, mechanical and electrical engineers so that the stack meets the requirements of our DAC technology and the wider plant design. Reporting to the R&D leadership team, you'll work alongside key members of the R&D lab, and mentor junior scientists and engineers as the team grows. What you’ll be doing Defining the opportunity areas for MZT's next-generation electrochemical stack: quantifying where the losses sit and which are worth attacking first Developing concepts for performance improvement across cell geometry, materials and flow design, backed by models and analysis that clarify your predictions Leading build–test–evaluate cycles with the R&D team: designing testing campaigns, characterising stack performance and tracing observed phenomena back to underlying mechanisms and design features Scaling successful concepts into full-scale stacks, working through fabrication, assembly and design-for-manufacture constraints Leading stack procurement: assessing commercially available stacks, specifying modifications and managing technical relationships with vendors and manufacturers Articulating stack requirements to process, mechanical, electrical and safety engineers so the stack and the wider plant design converge Closing the feedback loop: internalising learnings from every campaign and applying them to subsequent stack designs Mentoring, guiding and supporting junior staff, helping them acquire new skills, knowledge and capabilities What you’ll need to be successful in this role A deep grounding in the theory and mathematical principles that describe electrochemical processes. You understand electrochemistry from first principles, not just by analogy or heuristics Experience designing electrochemical stacks at multiple scales involving aqueous electrolytes, ion-exchange membranes and gas generation A strong grasp of how the culmination of geometric features, material selection and process parameters determines the critical performance parameters of a stack A track record of taking designs through to fabricated, assembled hardware in collaboration with mechanical, electrical and process engineers Significant experience designing and executing testing campaigns, with the diagnostic instinct to trace behaviour back to root mechanisms The habit of reducing problems to first principles and building models to sharpen your thinking, paired with the judgement to reach for heuristics when they're the better tool Equal appetite for ideation and execution: you can get obsessed with a problem, and you finish what you start As comfortable in the lab or workshop as you are developing designs, models and analysis Experience mentoring, guiding or supervising junior colleagues A degree in chemical engineering, electrochemical engineering, materials science or a related discipline Roughly 5–10 years' experience spanning stack design, testing and scale-up Clear communication skills across engineering disciplines Ideally, you’ll also have: Direct experience with electrodialysis, bipolar membranes or related ion-exchange membrane processes Hands-on experience with carbonate or alkaline electrolytes, and with managing gas evolution and two-phase flow inside cells Electrochemical or multiphysics modelling experience (COMSOL or equivalent, or your own codes) Experience with EIS and other advanced electrochemical diagnostics Working CAD skills, enough to take your own concepts from sketch to drawing Experience working directly with stack, membrane or component manufacturers, and navigating their manufacturing constraints A PhD in electrochemistry, electrochemical engineering or a related field Experience in a startup or similarly fast-moving R&D environment Patents or publications in electrochemical cell or stack design Most importantly, we'd also welcome hearing from you even if you feel you are under or overqualified - as finding the right person is critical. What we can offer you 30 days of Annual Leave 3 months enhanced Paternity/Maternity Leave Access to wellness and medical cover Employee Share Options Scheme Christmas holidays office closure Cycle to work scheme Opportunities to directly impact where our company is headed A high-growth, high-trust environment that encourages bold creativity At Mission Zero, we value diversity of cultural backgrounds, experience, and perspectives, and leverage these qualities to create exceptional outcomes. We are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, sex, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy or related condition, or any other basis as protected by applicable law. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation. Our Hiring Process Kindly allow us up to 2 weeks to review your application. Providing both of our schedules align, the total hiring process should take 4-6 weeks total to wrap up. Application review Recruiter / HR screening interview (30 minutes) Interview with R&D Lead / Principal Scientist(s) Short case assignment and competencies (3 hours max. Ideally in person in London - travel paid for) Final interview - CTO / Team Lead (30 mins) About Mission Zero Technologies We’re a London-based climate tech startup working to reinvent carbon for a thriving planet. Since 2020, we have rapidly pioneered the world’s most versatile direct air capture (DAC) technology to recover historic CO₂ emissions from the atmosphere, anywhere at any scale. Backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the XPRIZE foundation, Stripe, and the UK Government, we’ve moved a brand new climate technology from lab to commercial plants in under three years to rapidly empower carbon removal and sustainable utilisation.