Managing Pilot Engineer

Company: Ammobia
Location: San Francisco
Posted on: February 14, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description About Ammobia Ammobia is on a mission to revolutionize the ammonia industry. We are a seed-stage startup developing Haber Bosch 2.0 – a next-generation ammonia synthesis process enabling cost-effective, clean ammonia production. Clean ammonia will support ammonia’s growing role in our decarbonized world, tackling some of the most difficult to abate sectors including chemicals, fertilizers, and heavy-duty transportation. We are supported by leading climate tech organizations including Starlight Ventures, the Department of Energy, Collaborative Fund, Third Derivative, and more. Job Description Ammobia is seeking a build-anything engineer to lead our Test Engineering function. You will be responsible for the design and iterative development of hardware systems to test, demonstrate, and optimize Ammobia’s proprietary reaction and separation processes. You and your team will deliver custom equipment to Ammobia’s R&D and Process teams and therefore work with the full technical team of chemical, process, and materials engineers. Who you are You are a hands on, build-focused engineer with deep industrial expertise designing and delivering complex gas processing systems. You come from aerospace, chemicals, or energy, and you build systems beginning with first-principles understanding. You enjoy working closely with scientists and engineers across the company to develop and deliver on functional requirements. You enjoy fast paced, creative, and collaborative work; you work with a bias towards action and overcommunication; and you thrive with high levels of autonomy and ownership. There is significant opportunity to grow your role alongside the company. Responsibilities may include: Responsibilities Own hardware design, integration, and delivery for Ammobia's pilot reactor and process systems Lead a team of 1-5 engineers and technicians to integrate mechanical, electrical, and controls subsystems Generate hardware system requirements and success criteria in close collaboration with R&D and process teams Design and procure custom equipment including pressure vessels, structural supports, flow and pressure controllers Build, integrate, shakedown, commission, and handoff process systems to R&D and process teams After successful pilot, translate designs to larger-scale system deployments with system fabricators and EPCs Build and maintain P&IDs, BOMs, 3D models, and similar Continuously upgrade, maintain, and build new bench scale systems to support R&D Qualifications 5 years industrial experience in gas processing for chemical, energy, aerospace, or similar field Hands on experience designing building research and pilot scale gas processing equipment, including ownership of and blank-sheet design of P&IDs, models, BOMs Experience leading design and build activities on small teams Hands on experience commissioning and troubleshooting complex hardware systems Experience leading system safety reviews for gas handling equipment, including HAZOP, PHA, or similar Demonstrated experience working with fabricators and vendors firms to design and procure custom hardware Working knowledge of electrical and control system design (PLC programming experience big plus) Working knowledge of Python and/or MATLAB, especially for time series data analysis Demonstrated experience designing tests/experiments on pilot scale chemical process systems Deep expertise in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer Hands on experience building gas handling hardware, such as with swagelok tubing, mass flow controllers, heaters, pressure vessels, etc BS (MS preferred) in mechanical engineering or similar Prior startup experience Nice-to-have Expertise in catalysis and reaction engineering, gas separations Expertise in unit operation modeling or similar Expertise in PLC programming expertise Demonstrated expertise in data analysis of time series processes Benefits include: Competitive equity grants 100% of premiums paid for healthcare, dental, vision, life insurance 401k Gym benefit Regular team social events Paid time off, including closure between Christmas and New Years Who we are We are a small and passionate team of scientists and engineers. We value teamwork, accountability, open communication, and rapid iteration. We emphasize career growth, mutual feedback, and a fun and exciting working environment. Check out ammobia.co/careers for our full values statement and ammobia.co/team to learn more about us. The position is full-time and in-person in San Francisco, CA. Compensation and job title will be commensurate with experience. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

Keywords: Ammobia, Rohnert Park , Managing Pilot Engineer, Engineering , San Francisco, California