About Vema
Vema Hydrogen is a clean energy startup developing Engineered Mineral Hydrogen (EMH), a process that produces low-carbon hydrogen by stimulating serpentinization reactions in iron-rich subsurface rock at costs competitive with fossil fuels. We are executing a first-of-a-kind field pilot in Quebec and advancing additional pilots and demonstration projects on the path to commercial deployment.
Vema is a multinational company with operations in Quebec, France, and the United States.
The Role
We are looking for a Facility Engineer to own the surface facilities of our pilot and demonstration projects from concept through commissioning: design, specification, procurement, fabrication oversight, construction, startup, and operation.
There is not a standard design for what we are building. This role will define the operating envelope for our experiment, working from guidance from Vema’s science team, and turn it into a working facility in the field. This role is accountable for making sure that what we design is what we order, what we order is what gets built, and what gets built performs at our design conditions.
You will work directly with the leadership team and our field operations group, and you will be a senior technical owner. This is a hands-on role for someone who wants to build real infrastructure at a company where the engineering decisions are consequential.
What You Will Do
- Lead front-end engineering and detailed design of pilot and commercial surface facilities, including pumping, heating, fluid handling, separation, and injection
- Act as Vema's technical owner with third-party engineering firms on pre-FID engineering for commercial-scale projects: scope and manage pre-feasibility, feasibility, and FEED studies, review deliverables, and ensure cost estimates and design packages meet the AACE class required to support project financing and investment decisions.
- Develop project execution plans, budgets, and schedules for facility projects, and report progress, risks, and cost against them.
- Document and maintain a technical basis of design at an appropriate level of detail for each project potentially including flow diagrams, P&IDs, equipment datasheets, material selections, etc.
- Own equipment specification and procurement end to end: prepare requisitions, evaluate bids, select vendors, and verify that purchase orders, vendor drawings, and delivered equipment match the design specification.
- Plan and execute construction and commissioning, including mechanical completion, pre-startup safety review, functional testing, and performance verification.
- Support field operations during startups and troubleshooting, and fold lessons learned back into design and procurement standards.
- Help build and lead Vema's safety culture: set the standard for safe design and safe work, and make safety a visible priority with vendors, contractors, and the field team.
- Work on a startup timeline. Speed matters. You will be expected to make sound decisions quickly, sequence procurement to protect the critical path, and find pragmatic solutions rather than wait for perfect information.
What We Are Looking For
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, chemical, or process engineering.
- 5+ years of facility or process engineering experience, ideally with a facility engineering or EPC/EPCM firm that carries projects through construction and commissioning, not just design.
- Demonstrated project management experience executing novel or first-of-a-kind projects. We are specifically looking for someone who has taken unusual facilities from concept to startup, rather than optimizing existing plant operations or supporting design in a junior capacity.
- Experience with Canadian codes and regulations applicable to pressure equipment and industrial facilities (CSA, ASME, CRN registration in Quebec a plus).
- Comfort with the pace and ambiguity of an early-stage company: you will wear multiple hats and make decisions with incomplete information.
- French and English bilingualism is an asset
Location and Travel
We will consider candidates based anywhere in Canada, but Quebec is preferred. Regular travel to the pilot site, vendor shops, and fabrication facilities is required.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience and relevant market benchmarks
- Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) grant, providing meaningful equity participation in Vema's growth
- Opportunity to define operational systems and culture at a critical inflection point in the company's development
Pay: $115,000.00-$160,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Please describe a facility that you personally carried from design through construction to startup.
Experience:
- process or facilities engineering: 3 years (required)
- building and commissioning facility projects: 3 years (required)
Language:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Hamilton, ON (Hamilton District)
