Charm Industrial is working to return the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. We design, build and operate a fleet of mobile fast pyrolyzers that convert ag and forest biomass residues into bio-oil for use in carbon removal and direct-reduced-iron steelmaking.
In 2020 our Chief Scientist and co-founder Shaun Meehan had two breakthroughs (bio-oil intermediate and bio-oil sequestration) that kickstarted the company. Within 10 months we completed our first carbon removal injection and in 2021 we completed more than 5,000 tons of CO₂e removal for customers like Stripe, Shopify and Microsoft.
About Charm
Our mission is to reverse climate change and return the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. We convert waste biomass into carbon-rich bio-oil and inject it into permanent, underground storage as carbon removal, or reform the bio-oil to produce syngas for fossil-free steel.
Last year, our carbon removal pathway took off with support from customers like Stripe, Shopify & Microsoft, and we deployed our first mobile pyrolyzer. In the next 18 months, we'll build and deploy the next pyrolyzer revision, demonstrate our fossil-free syngas pilot, substantially expand our operations in the Midwest and put more than 1,000 tonnes of CO₂e underground.
We're looking to expand our team of creative and hands-on engineers, fabricators, operators, and forward-thinking humans. We value psychological safety and collaboration. We take calculated risks and don't sweep mistakes under the rug; instead, we pin them to the wall and learn from them. We value that everyone’s unique backgrounds and perspectives shape their work. We encourage you to read
our company values.
Come help us reverse climate change. Gigatons or bust!
About the role
As a Principal Scientist in Pyrolysis at Charm, you will push the state of the art of thermochemical conversion technology, all while helping us scale to a massive carbon removal business. Your input will directly improve the performance of our pyrolyzers, which is critical to scaling supply and enabling gigaton-scale carbon removal.
In this role, you will provide the technical know-how and deep expertise about pyrolysis and its resultant products to the greater Charm team! You will collaborate with a wonderful group of cross-functional engineers and fabricators to rapidly prototype, develop test plans, and execute experiments. You will see your ideas come to life in actual hardware in record time. If you’re excited about seeing pyrolysis take center stage in the effort to reverse climate change, this role is for you!
This role will report to Shaun Kinetic, our co-founder and Chief Scientist and be our in-house pyrolysis expert. The role will be a part of a team of other experts in their respective fields, such as metallurgy and gasification.
This role is located at either our San Francisco, CA Minifactory or our Fort Lupton, CO Miniforge, and is open to remote or hybrid-remote options for the right candidate. The salary range is $150-200k per year, plus benefits described below.
You would make a great addition to the team if:
· You solve problems with creativity and curiosity
· You take high ownership of your work from end-to-end
· You are eager to learn and teach others
· You readily challenge your assumptions when faced with a difficult problem
· You collaboratively seek out teammates for feedback and advice
· You care deeply about our mission & the transition to a greener, more equitable future
What We Offer
· Flexible hours & paid time off
· Stock option compensation
· Medical and dental insurance
· Traditional and Roth 401k
· Paid parental leave managed through Cocoon
· Healthy snacks and lunches
· A sweet workplace (Wait until you see our SF Minifactory!) with lots of space inside and out
· A chance to pivot into a role in climate!
Visa Sponsorship Policy
Since we are a small startup, certain accommodations for visa sponsorship may not be within our capability. At this time, Charm Industrial is only sponsoring E3 and TN visas.
COVID-19
The nature of our work requires the vast majority of our team to be in-person full time. As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved, we've continuously adapted our safety policy to keep our team safe and productive. Our current safety policy requires the attestation of COVID-19 vaccination to work at Charm. Additionally, we ask that all of our employees and visitors stay home and rest if they have any cold/flu/covid/sickness symptoms.
Our Commitment
Charm Industrial is an equal opportunity employer with a firm commitment to growing our team in an inclusive way, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, medical condition, age, or veteran status. The consequences of climate change inherently affect some more than others, and we need a diverse team to help us save our little planet most effectively & justly. We are excited about all of those who choose to apply, and for those who end up joining us, to see how you better us as a team and company. We are more than the sum of our parts.
In this role, you can expect to:
Poke holes in our process and then help quickly fill them back in! Identify key research areas and opportunities for novel solutionsParticipate in relevant conferences to represent Charm and our workCollaborate strategically with external labs, agencies, and research universitiesKeep Charm up to date on the latest and greatest technology in the fieldRequirements
A depth of knowledge on pyrolysis, either through research or practical experienceA keen understanding of pyrolysis oil, its behavior and its idiosyncrasies A strong grasp of thermal and fluids fundamentalsA solid track record of safety & understanding of relevant engineering controlsThese skills are a bonus, but not essential:
Experience working on a pyrolysis system either commercially or in a labExposure to different types of pyrolysis and reactor designs Experience with chemical modeling and associated software