Engineering Manager

Who Are We? Syntetica is decarbonising the textile industry through green chemistry 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. To date, we’ve raised >$35M from leading investors including EQT Ventures, Lululemon and MAS Holdings alongside the family offices of Peugeot, Etam and Indorama Ventures. We’ve already forged key partnerships with major textile players like Victoria’s Secret, Etam Group and Lululemon and have assembled a core team of 25 experts. We're now scaling industrially with a first demo facility built in partnership with Michelin. 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! Press articles: • • Lululemon backs nylon recycling startup in $30M Series A • Syntetica and Michelin's CMD announce an unprecedented partnership to scale nylon recycling WHO YOU ARE You are a hands-on, team-oriented engineering manager who enjoys developing engineers and bringing new process technologies from the lab into the real world. You thrive in early-stage environments where priorities evolve quickly, technical challenges are complex, and success depends on close collaboration between R&D, engineering, and operations. Leading a team of process development engineers you will focus on industrial scaling of our nylon recycling technology. You will provide technical guidance, remove obstacles, establish engineering best practices, and help the team execute effectively across pilot and demonstration-scale programs. You bring strong fundamentals in process development and scale-up, coupled with the leadership skills needed to build a high-performing and accountable engineering team. RESPONSIBILITIES • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 6–8 process engineers through coaching, performance management, prioritization, and career development • Drive execution of process development and scale-up activities from laboratory concepts through pilot and demonstration-scale implementation • Partner closely with the R&D team to deepen mechanistic understanding of depolymerization, separation, and purification processes, and translate insights into engineering solutions • Guide process engineering activities including mass and energy balances, equipment sizing, PFDs, P&IDs, process control philosophy, and design reviews • Drive process robustness and optimization, including yield, purity, throughput, energy efficiency, and cost improvements • Establish engineering standards, documentation practices, and design review processes to improve quality, consistency, and execution speed • Lead process troubleshooting, root-cause investigations, and continuous improvement efforts to improve performance, reliability, and operability • Recruit, develop, and retain top engineering talent, building organizational capability aligned with long-term scale-up needs • Foster a strong culture of safety, technical rigor, ownership, and continuous learning across the engineering team • Invest in our company values and vision and champion them as we grow BACKGROUND & SKILLS • BS in Chemical Engineering or a related engineering discipline, with 8+ years of experience in process engineering and technology scale-up within industries such as polymers, chemicals, recycling, petrochemicals, or advanced materials • 3+ years of people leadership experience, with a demonstrated track record of building, developing, and mentoring high-performing engineering teams • Experience supporting the development and scale-up of pilot plants, demonstration facilities, startup environments, or other first-of-a-kind process technologies • Strong process engineering fundamentals, including process development, reaction systems, separations, process controls, equipment selection, and process troubleshooting • Experience developing and reviewing key engineering deliverables, including PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specifications, operating procedures, commissioning plans, and design reviews • Working knowledge of process safety and risk management methodologies, including HAZOP, MOC, PFMEA, and related best practices • Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects while balancing hands-on engineering, people leadership, and project execution • Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across technical, operational, and business functions • High level of ownership and adaptability; comfortable operating in fast-paced environments with evolving priorities, ambiguity, and limited structure • Fluency in English required; French is strongly preferred, or a willingness to develop proficiency over time At Syntetica, we are a dynamic group of individuals, united by a common mission, who believe our diversity is key to our success. We are committed to maintaining an inclusive work environment, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination on any basis.