Development Engineer

Opfikon, Zurich, Switzerland Ready to join a team of visionaries who is dedicated to solving one of humankind's greatest challenges? Get to know Climeworks

Climeworks is a leading high-quality carbon removal provider, combining decades of expertise in Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology with a holistic approach to carbon removal solutions.

Climeworks advises companies on their carbon removal strategies and provides tailored portfolios of nature-based and engineered approaches, offering end-to-end services to help achieve net-zero goals. The company runs the world's first two DAC plants in Iceland, demonstrating its core commitment to high-quality carbon removal that is backed by over 15 years of pioneering research, development, and deployment.

By advancing the most reliable solutions in the market, Climeworks accelerates the global transition to net zero, unlocking economic value for businesses, governments, and society.

We foster a dynamic environment and are building a global purpose driven team. We are looking for disruptive thinkers, passionate achievers and inspiring leaders that are ready to take on the world's greatest challenge.

Will you join us?

Your mission Job description

• Collector Concepts Development: You contribute to the design and development of new CO₂ collector system architectures, translating sorbent and process requirements into practical, manufacturable equipment. You support the creation of innovative concepts and help bring them to life through engineering design.

• Prototyping & Testing: You take a hands-on role in prototyping and testing collector concepts and subsystems. You design and execute experiments to validate performance, troubleshoot issues, and optimize designs for reliability and scalability.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: You work closely with sorbent scientists, process engineers, and mechanical designers to ensure seamless integration of materials and processes into collector systems. You support the scale-up of technologies from lab to pilot and industrial scale.

• Engineering & Industrialisation Support: You assist in the transition from concept to manufacturable product, contributing to detail design, design-for-manufacture, and compliance. You collaborate with the Industrialisation team to ensure robust implementation of new technologies.

• Documentation & Continuous Improvement: You document designs, test results, and learnings to support knowledge sharing and accelerate development cycles. You actively contribute to improving engineering processes and practices.

Your story Requirements

• Education & Experience: You hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, or a related field. You have 2–5 years of experience in equipment development, ideally involving thermal systems, vacuum, or steam processes.

• Hands-On Innovation: You have experience building and testing lab-scale or pilot-scale hardware. You enjoy solving engineering challenges and iterating quickly to improve designs.

• Technical Skills: You are proficient in CAD software (preferably SolidWorks) and have a good understanding of mechanical design, prototyping, and testing. Familiarity with sorbents, adsorption/desorption processes, or thermal separation technologies is a plus.

• Teamwork & Communication: You thrive in multidisciplinary teams and communicate effectively across functions. You bring a proactive mindset and a collaborative spirit to your work.

Our promise: At Climeworks, you are accepted for who you are, and we are committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply – regardless of background, identity, or experience. Studies show that women and individuals from minority backgrounds often only apply for jobs when they meet 100% of the listed criteria. If this sounds like you, don't hold back. If you think you'd make a great fit for this role, we'd love to hear from you, even if you don't check every single box. Let's tackle one of humankind's greatest challenges together.

What we offer:

• Time Off: Enjoy 25 paid vacation days every year, plus public holidays.

• Flexibility: Work how it suits you best. We offer a hybrid work setup and up to 4 weeks of remote work annually within any EU country.

• Ownership: Fair base pay paired with an equity package – because your contributions matter.

• Family Support: Inclusive parental leave.

• Continuous Learning: Dedicated budget to invest in your professional growth.

• Referral Rewards: Help us grow our team and earn bonuses for your successful referrals.

Salary: At Climeworks, salary ranges are assigned to a job based on the level of seniority and the location specific market median of similar jobs according to external benchmark surveys. Individual compensation depends on your skills, experience, and the value you bring to the team.

Formalities:

• This position is based in Opfikon, Zurich, and we ask that you work onsite at least three days per week.

• The percentage in the job title means flexibility – choose full-time or part-time based on what works for you.

• We do not accept candidate profiles through recruitment agencies.

Explore more

At Climeworks, we believe the people make all the difference. Discover other opportunities and learn more about our team, our technology and our culture.

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