Head of Engineering

This isn’t a management job from a distance. It’s a once-in-a-generation chance to help build one of the most ambitious climate systems ever designed — with your own hands. UAP is turning the atmosphere into a resource. We need a Head of Engineering who is ready to lead from the front and move quickly.

Company Overview

Universal Atmosphere Processing (UAP) is a NW UK-based deep-tech startup that is creating an entirely new industrial category: atmospheric resource extraction. Our patented Electromagnetic Plasma Separator (EMPS) extracts valuable trace gases from the air. It’s housed inside our proprietary Atmospheric Processor™ (AP): a tower that separates and purifies air, unlocking clean outputs and carbon removal. We’re currently building our prototype (Mk1). Mk2 will pilot in 2026. Commercial units will process 2.5M+ tonnes of air per year. This is serious industrial infrastructure, and we’re seeking a skilled builder to help shape it from the ground up.

The Role

This is an all-hands role. You’ll be our first senior technical hire. You’ll help architect, design, and build our systems across multiple TRLs, with direct access to the CEO (who invented the EMPS) and visibility into all aspects of the business.

• Lead engineering execution for the EMPS and AP system — gas separation, heat recovery, and flow control.
• Build from drawings, specs, and breadboards to full-scale, field-ready systems.
• Solve real integration and manufacturing challenges — not just theoretical ones.
• Directly manage key contractors and hires as we scale the team.
• Contribute to grant and investor pitches, technical documentation, and roadmap definition.
• Lay the technical foundation for a product that could redefine how we capture and use air.

This is more “Chief Engineer” than “CTO.” You’ll build first, and lead as we grow.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deliver the EMPS + AP tower system from prototype to early manufacturing.
• Build and test subsystems: Chambers, separation units, heat exchangers, collection plates, and exhaust cones.
• Design thermal shielding, modular supports, and high-voltage / plasma-compatible subsystems.
• Help lead sourcing and integration of sensors, power supplies, actuators, and control logic.
• Own engineering management: internal talent, contractors, test sites, and design iterations.
• Shape engineering culture with a bias toward practical problem solving, rigour, and ambition.

What You Bring

Essential

• 8+ years building complex hardware systems (fusion, aerospace, industrial, scientific instruments, etc.).
• Strong technical range — mechanical, thermal, electrical, and systems integration.
• Ability to turn early concepts into functioning machines — rapidly, and with limited resources.
• Experience solving real-world engineering problems — under pressure, and with real constraints.
• Leadership from the front: sleeves-up, boots-on, CAD-open.

Preferred

• Exposure to plasma systems, magnetic field generation, or atmospheric gas separation.
• Familiarity with high-voltage design, thermal recovery systems, or modular industrial architecture.
• Experience in pre-seed or deep tech startup environments.
• Personal mission to help solve climate change at the infrastructure level.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary (£60-£80k/yr DOE) + negotiable performance bonus.
• Direct influence over the design and delivery of a world-first system.
• A high-impact role in one of the most exciting deep tech climate companies in Europe.
• Work on a system that integrates plasma, magnetics, gas handling, thermal integration, and large-scale industrial design.
• Hybrid working.
• A chance to say: “I helped build that.”

To Apply

We care about clarity, action, and ownership. Send a short note explaining why this speaks to you and what you’ve built before. Attach a CV or portfolio if you like. Show us something that demonstrates your readiness to lead this. We’ll respond to all serious applicants within five working days.