Process Engineer

Vanguard Renewables, based in Weston, Massachusetts, is a national leader in environmental services and the development of food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company builds, owns, and operates on-farm anaerobic digestion facilities and is continuing to scale through an extensive national expansion of its Farm Powered® platform. It is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste, generating renewable energy, and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms. Vanguard Renewables is a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock.

The Process Engineer works cross-functionally with Development, Construction, and Procurement during early-stage and pre-FID project development to evaluate technologies, establish process and equipment performance expectations, and support the project’s progression through design, construction, and commissioning.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide regulatory permitting support for early-stage project development, including identifying applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Conduct technical due diligence on technology and equipment providers, evaluating lifecycle performance, reliability, and integration with project objectives.
• Define system and equipment performance expectations; collaborate with Procurement to ensure purchase orders accurately reflect design and performance requirements.
• Maintain and update the mass & energy (M&E) balance template; perform calculations and scenario evaluations during pre-FID stages and revise based on evolving technology packages. Coordinate with system/technology providers to confirm interfaces and utility loads (electrical, compressed air, controls, internet, discharges, emissions, etc.).
• Maintain CI score inventory sheets and perform carbon intensity (CI) evaluations for prospective projects.
• Develop integrated process block flow diagrams (BFDs) and populate flowrates, sizing, and capacity requirements for key equipment and process elements (mixers, digesters, slump volumes, water consumption, biogas production, waste gas, dewatered solids, thermal energy demand, etc.).
• Support Project and Operations teams during commissioning and site start-up, including troubleshooting and performance validation.
• Collaborate with Project Engineers to recommend procurement preferences based on technical and commercial criteria.
• Capture lessons learned and operational feedback; integrate improvements into standard design documents, specifications, and engineering workflows.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, or related field) with 5–10 years of relevant engineering experience.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects, competing priorities, and deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Proven experience evaluating production equipment, process performance, and material flows, with a track record of resolving technical issues.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to convey technical information to non-technical stakeholders and negotiate with vendors.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel) and Visio; ability to develop clear process diagrams and calculations.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.
• Hybrid work environment based in Weston, MA

Preferred

• Advanced knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, and cost-optimization techniques for manufacturing or process industries.
• Experience in water/wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion, or renewable natural gas (RNG) project development.
• Experience tracking and managing ISCC sustainability metrics, CI scoring, and greenhouse gas (GHG) calculations.
• Prior experience as a Project Engineer

WHAT WE OFFER:

• Comprehensive health insurance benefits, including HSA option, with substantial employer premium contributions.
• Competitive, employer-sponsored (100% paid) dental, vision, and wellness benefits.
• Basic employer-paid life and disability insurance, with optional supplemental life and AD&D coverage.
• 401(k) retirement program with employer match and immediate eligibility.
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options to support healthcare and dependent care expenses.
• Education and adoption assistance programs to support personal and family goals.
• Discretionary performance-based bonus opportunity in addition to competitive base salary.
• Robust paid time off supporting flexibility and work-life balance.
• Monthly cell phone and business expense reimbursement.

Vanguard Renewables is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals and in which personnel processes are merit-based and applied without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, military service status, citizenship, or other protected characteristic.