Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

About WasteX

WasteX provides a globally-unique, full-stack biochar solution for agricultural producers and carbon projects developers in Indonesia, India and elsewhere internationally. We help our clients utilize biomass waste, improve productivity, and generate additional income while removing carbon.

We are a VC-backed climate tech startup headquartered in Singapore with operations in Indonesia and India.

Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Mechanical Design Engineer to lead the design, development, and optimization of our biomass pyrolysis equipment and its auxiliary systems. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in thermal systems, material selection for high-temperature environments, and mechanical design for manufacturability and reliability. The candidate is ideally a licensed engineering professional with creativity and the determination to develop equipment prototypes, place them through rigorous testing, and release them for manufacturing with a high standard of level and reliability.

This is a hybrid job that requires up to 50% time spent at our partner's manufacturing facility/fabrication workshop and/or biochar production facility in the East Java region.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical design of pyrolysis equipment, gas and emission handling systems, heat exchangers, and feedstock handling mechanisms.
• Perform thermal, structural, and fluid dynamics simulations (FEA/CFD) to optimize system performance.
• Assess/select high-temperature materials (refractory metals, ceramics/insulation, high-temp coating) for combustion / pyrolysis chambers and gas pathways.
• Develop CAD models (SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, or similar) and oversee prototyping/testing.
• Ensure designs meet safety, emissions, and regulatory compliance (EPA, OSHA, CE/ATEX if applicable).
• Collaborate with electrical/controls engineers to optimize and integrate automation and IoT sensors.
• Coordinate the development and manufacturing of the equipment prototypes for testing purposes (conduct rigorous reliability/usability tests and modify the equipment based on the test results).
• Work with manufacturing partners to transition from prototype to production (DFM, DFA) and perform manufacturing quality/reliability assessment.
• Prepare the budget and costing for equipment development and manufacture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Chemical/Process Engineering (or equivalent practical experience).
• Minimum 5 years of experience in mechanical design of thermal systems e.g. pyrolysis or gasification (preferred), combustion, kilns, or industrial furnaces.
• Strong CAD proficiency (SolidWorks preferred) and experience with FEA/CFD tools (ANSYS, COMSOL).
• Strong knowledge of high-temperature and corrosion resistance materials (stainless steels, Inconel, refractory linings); bulk material flow, heat transfer, and thermodynamics.
• Hands-on experience with prototyping, testing, and failure analysis in thermal environments.
• Familiarity with industrial gas handling (syngas, flue gas) and heat recovery systems.
• Understanding of pyrolysis reaction kinetics and process optimization.

Offer

• Competitive salary.
• Work on cutting-edge climate tech with real carbon impact.
• Opportunity to innovate with almost no boundaries and build a one-of-its-kind, high-impact product for a massive untapped market while mitigating climate change.