Process Engineer

About

The Bland Company is a foodtech and biotech startup on a mission to make sustainable eating easy, affordable, and accessible for everyone. We’re building a new class of functional plant proteins — transforming agricultural byproducts into high-performance food ingredients that are flavor-neutral, highly functional, and scalable. We’re a fast-moving team of six and are backed by leading US investors. We combine protein science, engineering, and food innovation to turn sustainable science into industrial reality.

The Role:

Pilot Engineer

You’ll be responsible for translating lab-scale extraction, separation, and drying processes into reliable, repeatable pilot-scale operations. You’ll own day-to-day running of our pilot line, process optimization, and data collection — working closely with scientists, engineers, and manufacturing partners to bridge R&D and commercialization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Operate and maintain pilot-scale equipment including centrifuges, filtration systems, reactors, dryers, and mixers
• Use engineering design, data-driven optimization, and process innovation
• Execute and document pilot runs following process parameters and safety standards
• Support commissioning, calibration, and preventive maintenance of equipment
• Draft and maintain SOPs, batch records, and scale-up reports
• Scale up extraction, precipitation, and drying processes from lab to pilot level
• Troubleshoot process deviations and perform root cause analysis
• Collect and analyze process data (yields, purity, moisture, functional metrics) to drive optimization
• Develop and analyze mass and energy balances; use statistical tools to correlate process conditions with product performance.
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and food-grade manufacturing standards.
• Able to lift and handle 20–40 kg samples of raw materials and intermediate products safely.
• Comfortable working in a hands-on lab environment, including handling powders, slurries, and wet processes.
• Prepared to get physically involved in pilot operations, cleaning and sampling.

Requirements:

• M.Tech or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering, Food Technology, or related field
• 2+ years of experience in pilot plant, process engineering, or food/biotech manufacturing
• Hands-on experience with key process equipment (centrifugation, filtration, evaporation, spray drying, etc.)
• Strong analytical mindset with comfort handling process data, mass balances, and troubleshooting
• Familiarity with GLP/GMP or HACCP standards is a plus

What We Offer:

• A front-row seat in building the next generation of sustainable ingredients
• A tight-knit, mission-driven team that values speed, transparency, and creativity
• Opportunities for fast growth, ownership, and global impact