Carbon Capture Engineer
The job description
Tech stack. Aspen Plus, HYSYS, process simulation tools, P&ID development, 45Q tax credit references, CO2 transport and storage standards, Python
About the role
You will join a decarbonization technology company developing carbon capture projects for power plants, cement, steel, and other hard-to-abate industries. The engineering team owns capture system design, integration with host facilities, and CO2 conditioning for transport and storage. This role matters because capture economics decide whether projects get financed, and your process designs, energy penalty reductions, and integration plans are what make the numbers work. You will design capture systems across post-combustion, pre-combustion, and direct air capture approaches, each with radically different energy penalties and integration challenges. The role includes CO2 compression, transport, and storage or utilization interface design, since capture is only half the value chain. You will build techno-economic models around 45Q tax credits and evolving carbon prices to find the capture applications that clear investment hurdles. Pilot and FEED study experience will sharpen your cost estimates, which are the credibility foundation for every project conversation.
What you will achieve
- Deliver FEED-level capture system designs for 500k+ tons of CO2 per year with capture rates above 90 percent and validated energy penalties
- Cut capture cost per ton by 15 percent through heat integration, solvent optimization, and standardized modular designs, with heat integration optimized to minimize the parasitic load penalty
- Own process simulations and equipment sizing for absorbers, strippers, compressors, and dehydration units
- Drive host-plant integration studies that quantify steam, power, and cooling impacts with mitigation plans operations teams accept, mapping capture cost per ton against revenue certainty under 45Q
- Ship permitting and 45Q qualification documentation with measurement, reporting, and verification plans auditors approve
What you will bring
Must-haves
- 2 to 5 years of experience in carbon capture, gas processing, or chemical process engineering roles
- Strong understanding of absorption-based capture chemistry (amine solvents) and regeneration thermodynamics
- Proficiency with process simulation in Aspen Plus or HYSYS for capture system modeling
- Ability to develop PFDs, P&IDs, equipment datasheets, and heat and material balances
- Working knowledge of CO2 compression, dehydration, and pipeline transport requirements
- Familiarity with 45Q tax credit requirements and lifecycle emissions accounting basics
- Disciplined process safety thinking: HAZOP participation and MOC documentation
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with direct air capture or alternative capture technologies (membranes, solid sorbents, cryogenic)
- Knowledge of Class VI well permitting and geologic storage monitoring
- Exposure to FEED studies or EPC contractor coordination
- Understanding of voluntary carbon markets and CDR crediting methodologies
- Familiarity with process simulation tools such as Aspen Plus or HYSYS
Tesla
NextEra Energy
First Solar
Fluence
GE Vernova
Enphase