Lead Development Engineer

About AIRCO

AIRCO™ develops advanced technologies for energy security and global resiliency. The company makes drop-in e-fuels that can power transportation across air, land, sea and space. Its modular MAD Fuel System ™ combines the company's proprietary catalysts, compact hardware, and locally available power to produce fuels to spec wherever they’re needed, turning distributed energy into ready-to-use fuel.

Led by co-founder and CEO Gregory Constantine (a 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year), the company has been awarded government contracts, including from the U.S. Department of War, NASA and the Department of Energy (DoE), and has investment and commercial partners with groups such as In-Q-Tel, GE Aerospace, Toyota Ventures, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines among others.

The Position

We are seeking a Senior Development Engineer to play a critical role in commercializing AIRCO’S Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) technology. This role is highly hands-on, combining first-principles engineering with pilot-scale execution to generate the experimental data and mechanistic models required for scale-up and Engineering Design Information (EDI) delivery.

This individual will play a key role in the design and execution of concepting, executing, and evaluating experimental programs to enable robust yield and performance models, supporting Engineering Design Information package (EDI) delivery. The position requires close integration of experimental work, analytical characterization to build mechanistic understanding and develop solid numerical models of process reactions and separations. This role is based in New Britain, PA.

What you get to do

Lead development projects or major technical workstreams from problem definition through experimental planning, execution, analysis, technical recommendations, and handoff to engineering; establish priorities, coordinate contributors, and communicate risks, decisions, and results to stakeholders.

Design and execute bench- and pilot-scale test programs for reaction and separation systems, including test objectives, operating envelopes, sampling plans, analytical requirements, data-quality criteria, and safe operating procedures.

Provide hands-on support during commissioning and testing; diagnose process, equipment, instrumentation, control, and data-quality issues; perform structured root-cause analysis; and implement practical corrective actions.

Apply first-principles chemical engineering to understand system behavior, including mass and energy balances, thermodynamics, kinetics/reaction engineering, heat and mass transfer, fluid flow, phase behavior, and separation fundamentals.

Analyze complex experimental and analytical datasets and develop fit-for-purpose engineering models, such as material/energy balances, yield and selectivity models, kinetic or mechanistic models, and process simulations, to connect laboratory and pilot results with scale-up needs.

Translate experimental learning into scale-up criteria, process performance predictions, operating guidance, design bases, and EDI/BEDP inputs; identify technical risks and data gaps and define the next experiments needed to close them.

Work effectively across R&D, analytical, engineering, operations, project management, and external partners; document technical conclusions clearly and contribute to knowledge transfer and intellectual property development.

What you bring to AIRCO

M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline

Significant experience in hands-on experimental development, pilot-scale testing, or process development

Strong grounding in thermodynamics, reaction engineering, and separation fundamentals

Demonstrated ability to analyze large datasets and extract mechanistic insight, not just empirical fits

Experience with numerical tools, simulation software, or data analysis platforms (e.g., Aspen, MATLAB, Python, similar)

Proven troubleshooting skills in experimental or pilot-plant environments

Familiarity with scale-up challenges, process modeling, and commercialization workflows

Working at AIRCO - In addition to standard medical and dental benefits, that kick in Day 1, we provide:

Comprehensive Health Benefits

Full coverage for employee base premiums on health, dental, and vision insurance.

70% coverage for spouse and dependent base premiums.

Choose between base plans or enhanced options to fit your needs.

Health Savings & Flexibility

Access company-sponsored HSA and FSA accounts to save on healthcare and dependent care expenses.

Income Protection & Insurance

Company-paid Short-Term Disability insurance.

Optional Long-Term Disability and Life Insurance plans.

Time Off & Leave

Flexible and generous paid time off, with opportunities to carry over unused PTO.

Paid family leave to support you during important life moments.

Retirement Savings

Tax-deferred 401(k) plan with a 3% company match to help you invest in your future.

Lifestyle & Commuter Benefits

Monthly Lifestyle Spending Account: Company-funded monthly benefit that can be used toward eligible work-from-home and commuting expenses, including gas, parking, and public transit.

Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits: Access to pre-tax savings through Navia for eligible transit and parking expenses.

Additional Perks

Ancillary benefits through Sequoia, including pet insurance and financial wellness programs.

Employee wellness program to support your well-being. Inclusive of Wellhub & One Medical.

Company-sponsored events and programs that promote an inclusive and values-driven workplace.

Weekly company-funded meal stipend that can be used toward meals from restaurants and food delivery services.

At AIRCO we value employees for their unique perspectives. We are an inclusive affirmative action Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We consider applicants without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions, and lactation), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, present or past history of intellectual, learning, mental, or physical disability (including but not limited to blindness) unless AIRCO determines that such disability prevents performance of the work involved, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women, marginalized genders and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At AIRCO we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles

This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls, security classification and/or designation as Controlled Unclassified Information. Employment in this position is conditioned on the candidate’s ability to obtain and maintain appropriate government authorization to access technology or information, to the extent required, including without limitation a security clearance, export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items technology or information.

We may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as we deem appropriate, in o