Gasification Engineer
Arbor Energy
El Segundo, CA, USA
Posted on Apr 13, 2025
At Arbor, we’re creating technology to power our lives while protecting the planet that sustains them. Our advanced power systems deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions—modular, fuel-flexible, and engineered for the realities of today’s energy demand. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale.
Our team includes aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers with a shared goal: to build technology worthy of the world we want to live in. While many of us began our journeys looking to the stars, we’re applying that expertise here at home to deliver dependable, emission-free baseload power and a future of lasting abundance.
If you’re drawn to rigorous work with lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you. Come build what the future will run on.
We’re looking for a Gasification Engineer to take ownership of the development, testing, and optimization of our biomass gasification reactor as we scale from demonstration to pilot and beyond. As a core member of a small, hands-on combustion team, you’ll guide daily operations, execute performance testing, and lead design improvements to ensure safe, reliable, and high-performing systems.
Responsibilities
- Serve as technical lead for the biomass gasification reactor, owning design, build, operation, and iteration.
- Conduct and lead test campaigns, including planning, execution, and data analysis.
- Operate and troubleshoot the gasification reactor during daily testing and development.
- Guide system configuration and performance optimization efforts.
- Own and execute feedstock sensitivity studies to assess system flexibility and robustness.
- Drive continuous improvement through design changes and upgrades.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to support system integration and scale-up.
- Ensure safe operation of high-temperature, high-pressure thermochemical equipment.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
- 5+ years of experience in combustion system design, analysis, and testing.
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
- Hands-on experience with high-temperature and pressure equipment.
- Demonstrated ability to own product lifecycle from conceptual design to validation.
- Willing to travel (up to 20%) to the test site in San Bernardino, CA, for operational activities and builds.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) with a focus on combustion science or energy systems.
- Experience with supercritical CO₂ or high-pressure combustion systems.
- Familiarity with low-emissions combustion strategies, such as lean premixed combustion or staged combustion.
- Knowledge of chemical kinetics and fuel property effects on combustion behavior.
- Proficiency in combustion modeling tools (e.g., CHEMKIN, Cantera, Fluent, or OpenFOAM).
- Programming or scripting skills for data reduction and automation (Python, MATLAB, etc.).
- Experience working in startup or experimental R&D environments.
Benefits
- Stock options
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance (Arbor covers 90% for employees)
- Basic life insurance fully covered
- Health savings account (HSA) with matching
- Flexible savings account (FSA)
- Unlimited PTO
- 12+ company holidays, including Earth Day!
- 401(k)
- Commuter benefits
- Annual learning and development stipend
- And more!
Arbor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Solving global energy challenges requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences, and we are committed to building a team that reflects the world we serve.