Who You Are

We're seeking an experienced, hands-on R&D Test Engineer with an aptitude and desire for learning new things and making experiments happen. This position will put you at the forefront of Sila’s hardware and process development efforts, with a focus on leading, designing, executing, and analyzing experiments on lab and pilot scale equipment as part of a growing, dynamic test engineering team. Your experiments will deliver the critical data necessary to understand how equipment design, process conditions, and material structure interact, enabling data-informed decisions for scale-up.

You will strive to accelerate Sila’s pace of learning and drive the company towards impactful decisions. You work as a team: you will rely on engineers, scientists, and technicians who, in turn, rely on you.  You work at the interface of material science, process engineering, equipment engineering, systems engineering, and data science. You turn raw data into critical insights. You run towards problems not away. If someone has an issue they need to debug, they come to you. You use your fundamental understanding, experiential insight, creative thinking, and the rest of the team to solve tough problems quickly and thoroughly. You have excellent communication skills and deftly navigate through technical discussions and debates.

Responsibilities and Duties  

• Conduct complete R&D projects in collaboration with engineering teams, including test planning, experimental design, preparation, execution, analysis, and communication of results
• Craft and execute effective experimental test plans
• Find failure-modes, root-causes, and implement robust solutions
• Provide critical insights through hands-on experience, deep process knowledge of the equipment, and thorough analysis of experimental data, system logs, and observations.
• Manage test platforms. Strive to make them world class.
• Formulate, lead, and facilitate complex data analysis projects

Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

• Exceptional laboratory testing aptitude. Intuition for what will work and ability to execute quickly and effectively
• Experience conducting or leading experimental R&D projects
• Demonstrated experience with complex reactive or thermo-mechanical systems like reactors, generators, catalytic systems, flow cells, or similar machines/processes
• Understanding and proven application of mechanical, process, and materials engineering principles: heat, flow, structures, thermodynamics, kinetics, and materials.
• Experience with data analysis and sufficient language knowledge, or polyglotism, to navigate data platforms in Python
• Experience with developing and deploying new instrumentation and measurement systems
• Demonstrated experience in electronics, wiring, and instrumentation (analog signals, AC and DC power fundamentals, control wiring, and diagnostic tools) and experience implementing lab or field-deployed electronics, sensors, and actuators
• At least a B.S. in engineering or physical sciences (e.g. Mechanical Engineering, Physics, etc.), advanced degrees preferred.
• 4+ years of relevant professional experience; an advanced degree (e.g., MS, ME) may substitute for a portion of the required experience.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection on a daily basis
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes
• Move items up to 50 lbs with the assistance of lift equipment and carts
• Move long distances (such as from building to building) and be stationary for extended periods of time
• Reach low shelves or items on the floor
• Precise and repetitive handling of a range of material quantities
• Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location

The starting base pay for this role is between $128,000 and $162,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses.  The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
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