Materials Engineer

Materials Engineer

Full-Time 40500 - 49500 £ / year (est.) No working from home possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead materials selection and testing for innovative air capture technology.
  • Company: Join a pioneering team focused on sustainable engineering solutions.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, share options, private health insurance, and unlimited time off.
  • Other info: Flexible work arrangements and extensive relocation support available.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in sustainability while working with cutting-edge materials.
  • Qualifications: Strong understanding of high-temperature materials and hands-on engineering experience.

The predicted salary is between 40500 - 49500 £ per year.

We are looking for a Materials Scientist to own materials selection, testing and failure analysis across our direct air capture system.

The role will be heavily focused on our high-temperature kiln and lime-processing equipment.

You will work on refractories, ceramics, heating elements, coatings, metals, alloys and sorbent-contacting materials.

You will be expected to take unclear materials problems, break them down from first principles, define the right tests, analyse the results, and turn them into clear engineering decisions.

This is a hands‑on engineering role, not a purely academic one.

You will work closely with process, mechanical, electrical and operations teams to make sure the materials we choose survive real operating conditions and can scale.

  • Core skills
  • Strong understanding of high-temperature materials, ceramics, refractories, corrosion, sintering, thermal shock and chemical compatibility.
  • Experience working with kilns, furnaces, lime, cement, ceramics, glass, thermochemical processing or similarly harsh high-temperature systems.
  • Ability to independently lead technical workstreams from a poorly defined problem to a clear recommendation.
  • Ability to define practical validation tests and interpret materials characterisation data.
  • Strong first-principles reasoning.
  • You should be able to look at a failed component, deposit, coating or refractory and work out what evidence is needed to understand the failure.
  • Comfortable engaging with suppliers, consultants, manufacturers and research organisations.
  • Able to balance performance, cost, lead time, manufacturability, reliability and scale‑up risk.
  • Clear written communication. We need concise technical recommendations, not open-ended reports.
  • Experience with refractory selection, installation methods, coatings or hot‑face materials.
  • Experience with Si C heating elements, protective glazes, electric furnaces or high-temperature heating systems.
  • Experience with lime, cement, calcination, carbonation, sorbents or thermochemical cycling.
  • Experience with XRD, SEM/EDS, XRF, microscopy, TGA/DSC or other materials characterisation techniques.
  • Experience with equilibrium modelling or phase chemistry tools such as Fact Sage, Thermo‑Calc, HSC Chemistry, CALPHAD or similar.
  • Experience taking materials decisions from lab testing through to pilot or production hardware.
  • A Ph D or postdoc in materials science, ceramics, metallurgy, chemical engineering or a related field would be valuable, but is not required.
  • We care more about capability than credentials.
  • Specifics
  • £60-90k Salary depending on experience
  • Share options as part of the early team
  • Extensive relocation support, including £6000 per year extra to live close to our HQ
  • In‑person work at our HQ in Bermondsey, South‑East London – flexibility considered based on personal circumstances
  • Private health insurance
  • Unlimited time off

We encourage exceptional applicants from all backgrounds to apply for this role, even if they do not meet all the requirements listed.

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Materials Engineer employer: Rivan

Join a forward-thinking company in Bermondsey, South-East London, where as a Materials Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in advancing our direct air capture technology. We offer a dynamic work culture that values hands-on engineering and encourages innovation, alongside competitive benefits such as extensive relocation support, private health insurance, and unlimited time off. With a strong emphasis on employee growth and collaboration across diverse teams, this is an excellent opportunity for those looking to make a meaningful impact in the field of materials science.

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Contact Details:

Rivan Recruitment Team

We think you need these skills to ace Materials Engineer

Materials Selection
Failure Analysis
High-Temperature Materials
Ceramics
Refractories
Corrosion Resistance
Sintering