Get to know Climeworks

Climeworks removes CO₂ from the air to fight global warming and protect future generations to come.

We develop, build and operate direct air capture (DAC) machines which capture CO₂ directly from the air. The captured carbon dioxide is removed from the air by safely storing it underground, permanently.

Founded in 2009 by engineers, Christoph Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher, Climeworks was built with a mission to inspire 1 billion people to remove CO₂ from the air, and is now spearheading the DAC industry globally. It has the world’s largest DAC facility and storage installation in operation and a team of over 300 Climeworkers determined to contribute to a net-zero future.

A true climate pioneer, Climeworks is featured as a TIME100 Influential Company 2022 and Global Cleantech 100 Company 2022, driving a revolutionary technology engineered to solve the most pressing issue of our time.

We foster a dynamic environment and are building a global purpose driven team. We are looking for disruptive thinkers, passionate achievers and inspiring leaders that are ready to take on the world’s greatest challenge.

Will you join us?

Your mission

• Your mission at Climeworks is to develop and mature new sorbent modules from concept phase (TRL0) to early-stage product readiness (TRL5).
• You take ownership of developing cutting-edge sorbent modules for current and future Climeworks CO2 collector products.
• You drive in-house and external development, testing and characterization of various sorbent modules or sub-elements thereof. You understand how physicochemical properties of samples impact performance of the final product. You ensure a smooth handover to manufacturing and operations teams, including owning the development of specifications which deliver a working product at TRL5.
• You work in close collaboration with experts in testing, product design, and sorbent & process development to deliver cutting-edge sorbent module solutions which meet targets for current and future technology generations. You support the development of new testing methods for characterizing sorbent modules.
• You drive efficient collaboration cross-functionally and with our external partners, including stakeholder alignment, management of technical/non-technical risks, and prioritization.
• You act as a key expert in collaboration with external partners for DAC-based requirements on sorbent modules.
• You work with our legal team, to ensure that contracts with third parties reflect appropriate technical scope.
• You also evaluate scientific literature and patents when needed and contribute to the development of new IP.

Your story

• You have an advanced degree in mechanical/chemical/process/industrial engineering, materials science, or similar. PhD preferred but not essential.
• You have research and development experience leading to successful delivery of new technology to production/manufacturing.
• You are technically adept with one or more means of immobilizing sorbent or catalyst in a 3-dimensional structure, for example from gas separation industry, air filtration industry, water treatment industry, catalyst industry or similar.
• You have significant experience with target-driven R&D methods, including design of experiment (DOE) and data evaluation, especially as embedded within stage-gate processes or similar.
• You have experience with one or more of: characterization of porous materials (BET, Hg porosimetry, TGA, etc.), structural analysis (tensile/compression testing, FEM, etc.), or adsorption characterization (breakthrough testing, DVS, etc.)
• You gained at least 5 years of experience in a similar role/industry, including at least 2 years in an industrial context.
• You have excellent project management skills of in-house and third-party projects, and are very comfortable in IP- or business-sensitive communication settings and you ideally are familiar with DAC technology and processes or similar gas processing/separation systems.
• You are characterized by a structured way of working, your affinity for detail and your organizational talent.
• You are creative and take a holistic and strategic approach to design and development.
• You enjoy the full development process, from hands-on lab experiments to providing high-level evaluation of technologies to management.
• You distinguish yourself through your high reliability and strong ownership, while being independent, detail-oriented and striving for best results.
• You are a strong communicator and collaborator and can explain both the big picture and technical details to a broad audience.
• You are open to travel up to 10% of the time.
• You are fluent in English; knowledge in German or other languages is beneficial but not required.

What we offer: A horizontal organization, a great team, an improvement-oriented approach, and a scale-up venture with an innovative technology. Sounds like you? We are looking forward meeting you! Apply now by filling in the online application form and uploading your complete dossier to our careers portal: https://www.climeworks.com/careers.

Our promise: At Climeworks, you are accepted for who you are.

As part of our ongoing journey towards creating a diverse and inclusive environment - we encourage everyone to apply! All qualified applicants are considered for positions, so bring along your knowledge, personal experiences, and fresh perspectives, and together we can solve one of humankind’s greatest challenges. We look forward to getting to know you!

Disclaimer: The percentage in the job title means that for this vacancy, you can decide if you want to be employed on a full-time or part-time basis, depending on what works best for your needs.

We do not accept candidates from agencies for our positions.