Project Engineer Upstream, Capital Projects
Austin, TX - USA
Department:
Job Summary
How you will contribute:
Plantible is developing the next generation of our commercial production facilities. The Upstream Project Engineer will own the engineering and field execution of the systems that grow cultivate harvest and deliver Lemna biomass to downstream processing.
You will sit between Plantibles agricultural and process experts and the people designing supplying and building our facilities. Your scope includes greenhouse structures cultivation systems water and nutrient delivery harvest systems biomass handling and the utilities and infrastructure that support them.
This role is both technical and field based. Your job is to turn upstream requirements into systems we can procure build repeatedly commission and operate at scale.
What you will be working on:
Connect the Engineering
- Translate requirements from Plantibles Engineering R&D Operations Maintenance and Food Safety teams into clear scopes and deliverables for external engineering partners and vendors.
- Coordinate the disciplines required for your systems including process mechanical piping civil structural electrical controls utilities and facility infrastructure.
- Understand where systems interface make sure every interface has an owner and drive technical decisions to closure.
- Maintain engineering deliverables decisions dependencies risks and open items against the overall project schedule.
- Surface gaps early. Waiting on Engineering is not a project plan.
Develop the Facility
- Support FEL conceptual design FEED and detailed engineering for assigned systems and project packages.
- Coordinate development and review of Basis of Design documents equipment lists utility requirements layouts specifications drawings and other core project deliverables.
- Lead design reviews with Plantible subject-matter experts Operations and external engineers.
- Challenge designs for safety constructability operability maintainability hygienic design cost and unnecessary complexity.
- Translate lessons from Ranchito into engineering standards and repeatable design packages for future Plantible facilities.
Buy the Equipment
- Develop technical scopes and bid packages for equipment materials and engineered systems.
- Coordinate RFQs technical evaluations bid leveling vendor selection and technical alignment before purchase.
- Manage vendor drawings calculations data documentation and interfaces with the broader facility design.
- Track major equipment and materials from specification through fabrication FAT delivery installation and startup.
- Understand which decisions and long-lead packages are driving the project schedule and act before they become constraints.
Help Build It
- Serve as Plantibles engineering point of contact during construction for assigned systems and scopes.
- Coordinate RFIs submittals design clarifications field changes and vendor questions.
- Maintain a strong onsite presence during active installation: walk the work verify progress identify constraints and drive issues to resolution.
- Resolve conflicts between drawings equipment contractors and Plantible requirements without losing design intent.
- Support quality reviews mechanical completion punch lists system turnover and documentation closeout.
Make It Work
- Plan for commissioning and startup before construction is complete.
- Coordinate vendor startup requirements FATs SATs commissioning performance testing and operator training.
- Work alongside Operations and Maintenance to make sure systems are documented tested safe and ready to operate.
- Verify that assigned systems achieve required capacity performance quality and reliability.
- Capture problems and lessons learned and turn them into better standards for the next facility.
Upstream Systems You Will Own
- Commercial greenhouse structures coverings ventilation environmental controls and modular grow infrastructure.
- Cultivation ponds or vessels water circulation nutrient delivery level control and water-management systems.
- Propagation inoculation crop-transfer harvest dewatering and biomass-conveyance systems through the defined downstream handoff point.
- Civil preparation grading drainage foundations roads and underground infrastructure required for upstream operations.
- Upstream mechanical piping electrical instrumentation controls and supporting utilities.
- High-volume repetitive installation including crew sequencing work-front readiness material staging installation productivity quality and prevention of recurring defects.
- Interfaces with downstream processing site utilities automation laboratories maintenance and facility infrastructure.
What you bring to Plantible:
- Bachelors degree in Agricultural Mechanical Civil Chemical Biosystems Engineering Construction Management or a related technical discipline.
- Typically 5-10 years supporting industrial agricultural or controlled-environment capital projects through design and field execution.
- Experience with commercial greenhouse construction controlled-environment agriculture irrigation or water systems agricultural processing or comparable large-scale repetitive construction.
- Experience coordinating civil structural mechanical electrical controls equipment vendors contractors and internal technical teams.
- Ability to read and challenge layouts civil and structural drawings equipment specifications utility plans controls documentation and vendor submittals.
- Strong field instincts. You understand sequencing crew productivity logistics work-front readiness quality and how design decisions affect installation.
- Highly organized and able to keep parallel design packages interfaces decisions and deadlines moving.
- Willingness to spend significant time onsite during construction commissioning and startup.
Preferred experience
- Owner-side project engineering or greenfield facility experience.
- Direct experience building commercial greenhouses or modular agricultural production systems.
- Experience with high-volume repetitive construction such as solar pre-engineered metal buildings modular structures racking or agricultural facilities.
- Experience with pumps piping water treatment drainage environmental controls instrumentation automation and biomass handling.
- Experience measuring installation productivity and driving contractor recovery plans.
Choose Plantible Foods
Joining Plantible means contributing to a sustainable future for all. We are a venture backed startup that is both spreading happiness amongst our employees and to current and future generations. We believe diversity creates uniqueness. Our team is composed of highly talented people with different interests and hobbies which makes for a rich working environment.
At Plantible we are continually working on our offerings to foster the best team. Check it out!
- Competitive health and wellness benefits
- Medical Dental and Vision Insurance
- Discretionary Unlimited PTO Program
- Paid Holidays
- 401k Program
- Career Stipend
- Career development and growth opportunities
- Working in a rapidly growing flexible and entrepreneurial environment
- Team building and company-wide events
- Financial support with your relocation if necessary ensuring a smooth transition
- And of course lots of beautiful land for outdoor activities!
Plantible Foods is an equal employment opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race creed color national origin age sex religion ancestry veteran status marital status gender identity sexual orientation national origin liability for military service or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal state or local law. If you are interested in learning the status of your application please note you will be contacted directly by the appropriate human resources contact person if you are selected for further consideration. Plantible Foods reserves the right to defer or close a vacancy at any time.
If you feel your skill set does not meet all listed qualifications for the role we still encourage you to apply. As we continue to grow our company we are seeking a range of candidates and would gladly consider you for other current or upcoming roles that may be a fit!
Recruitment Fraud Alert
Plantible Foods is aware of fraudulent job offers and individuals impersonating our recruiters or employees.
Please note:
- We will never ask candidates to pay fees for employment training equipment or background checks.
- We will never request sensitive personal or financial information during the early stages of the hiring process.
- All official Plantible Foods communications come only from email addresses ending in @.
- Our only official company website is and our jobs are posted on our Careers page and our official LinkedIn page.
If you receive a suspicious message claiming to be from Plantible Foods do not respond. Please report it to .
Required Experience:
IC
About Company
Kindly be advised that we are handling the recruitment for this position internally and are not partnering with external recruiters. We are a Biology Company Plantible, backed by Astanor Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Piva Capital, Kellogg’s, and Vectr Ventures, is a vertically integrated b ... View more