Process Engineer

Who Are We?

Syntetica is an early-stage chemical startup on a mission to decarbonize the textile industry through textile-to-textile recycling — starting with nylon.

Today, most synthetic textiles are made from crude oil, and less than 1% are recycled back into new fibers. We're here to change that. At Syntetica, we’ve developed a patented depolymerization process that breaks down nylon-rich textile waste into virgin-equivalent nylon monomers — while separating materials like elastane, polyester, and cotton for further recycling.

Backed by Entrepreneur First, we’ve raised €4.2M from leading investors including EQT Ventures , the family offices of Peugeot and Etam , as well as high-profile athletes like Paul-Henri Mathieu and Jean-Éric Vergne .

We’ve already forged key partnerships with major textile players like Victoria’s Secret and ETAM — as well as leading fast fashion and sportswear brands — and have assembled a core team of 12 experts .

If you want to help bring truly circular materials to global scale — and solve one of the textile industry’s biggest sustainability challenges — come build with us.

Mission

We are looking for a Process Engineer to help scale our chemical recycling technology from lab to industrial scale. You'll model, simulate, and optimize our process, working at the intersection of R&D and engineering. Your work will directly shape the design of our demonstration and industrial plants—balancing technical performance with economic viability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical and techno-economic studies in close collaboration with the R&D team to optimize process parameters and guide research toward scalable, cost-effective solutions for our demonstration and industrial plants.
• Build and implement process models and simulations (Aspen Plus) to analyze, validate, and enhance process performance, providing recommendations for design improvements and operational changes.
• Develop and refine thermodynamic and kinetic models of key unit operations to improve reaction understanding, optimize energy and mass balances, and support decision-making.
• Deliver key engineering documents - PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specifications, instrumentation lists and contribute to risk and safety reviews, including PFD/P&ID reviews and HAZOP studies.
• Coordinate with external partners - from scale-up development to engineering firms - throughout the design and scale-up phases, ensuring technical alignment and successful execution of our process.

Required Background

• Master's or PhD in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering , or a closely related field from a top-tier university.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in chemical process development and scale-up, including direct involvement in pilot or industrial plant design.
• Proven track record delivering process design packages (PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specifications) for multi-step chemical processes.
• Experience with crystallization and solid/liquid separation processes would be highly valued.

Required Skills

• Expertise in process simulation and modeling using tools such as Aspen Plus (or equivalent), with deep knowledge of thermodynamics and reaction engineering.
• Expertise in flowsheet development, including building PFDs and P&IDs, and in developing and refining kinetic and thermodynamic models to support scale-up and decision-making.
• Strong ability to translate lab-scale data into scalable process design parameters and actionable engineering decisions.
• Demonstrates scientific rigor, meticulous attention to detail, and a data-driven mindset.
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in the fast-moving, ambiguous environment of an early-stage startup.
• Full professional proficiency in English; French is a plus.

Recruitment Process

• Screening call with People Lead – 30 min
• Interview & practical case with (COO) and Jaume (Lead Process Engineer) – 1 hour
• Values & culture fit with (CEO) – 45 min
• Final discussion with Paul Martin – 30 min
• Reference checks