Engineering Technician
Company overview
Lydian is developing the lowest cost sustainable fuels from waste CO2, water, and renewable electricity to decarbonize the aviation industry. Our breakthrough technology replaces oil and gas refining with fully electrified, modular, and flexible reactor systems that produce fuel with 95% lower emissions than traditional jet fuel.
Since our founding in 2021, Lydian has achieved key milestones in record time, including the production of our first liquid fuel from our pilot system. Lydian is backed by the world's top energy transition investors including Congruent Ventures, Galvanize Climate Solutions, Union Square Ventures, Voyager Ventures, Grok Ventures, and Overture. We have also earned support from the US Department of Energy, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and have been recognized by Forbes 30u30 and by Silicon Valley Bank's 50 by 2050 List which recognizes the top fifty energy transition companies based on potential impact and scale.
Position overview
Lydian is looking for an Engineering Technician to support its 25,000 sq ft lab and pilot facility in Charlestown, MA. This role is highly hands-on and central to keeping our equipment reliable and our experimental and production workflows running smoothly. You will build, maintain, disassemble and rebuild custom mechanical systems, troubleshoot equipment issues, and support the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for our specialized aviation fuel production and testing equipment. The ideal candidate will have strong experience with process piping and play a pivotal role providing feedback to engineers on the layout and design of complex P&IDs.
This role is day-shift (non-rotating) but supports commissioning, outages, and occasional extended hours during critical testing campaigns. This role requires onsite work in Charlestown, MA five days per week.
Key responsibilities
Assemble, disassemble, operate, maintain, and troubleshoot chemical engineering equipment, including both custom and off-the-shelf equipment.
Load, unload, and prepare samples for testing per established procedures.
Handle, weigh, label, and track materials for R&D experiments and pilot production runs.
Execute cleaning, flushing, and changeover procedures for equipment between runs.
Ensure accurate documentation of process steps, test conditions, and observations.
Perform routine preventive maintenance on facility support equipment (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, etc.).
Assist with troubleshooting, diagnostics, and minor repairs of mechanical, electrical, and control issues.
Replace filters, seals, valves, gaskets, and instrumentation components as needed.
Support vendor service visits, coordinate access, and ensure quality of external maintenance work.
Maintain accurate maintenance logs and update them with completed tasks and equipment status.
Identify abnormal equipment conditions early and escalate appropriately.
Who You Are
You are mechanically inclined, hands-on, curious, and proactive.
You take pride in well-maintained equipment and precise execution of procedures.
You communicate clearly, escalate issues early, and work well across disciplines.
You thrive in an environment where each day brings new equipment, new processes, and new learning.
You enjoy working on breakthrough technology and want your work to have tangible impact.
You like working on new technology where “standard” doesn’t exist yet.
Preferred Qualifications
5–12+ years experience as a maintenance technician, process technician, assembly technician, pilot plant technician, or similar role.
Ability to read and strictly follow P&IDs, operating procedures, equipment drawings, and control loop diagrams.
Experience installing and maintaining chemical engineering hardware.
Experience working with high pressure fluid lines.
Experience working with industrial instrumentation and control systems.
Experience working with power tools and on basic fabrication, assembly, and disassembly.
Forklift, crane, or material-handling experience is a plus.
Electrical (eg NFPA 70) or other workplace certifications are a major plus.
Experience in startups or small engineering teams which require flexibility and autonomy is a major plus.
Alignment with our mission, vision, and virtues.
Company culture and benefits
Challenging, collaborative, and meaningful work and an important voice in company development.
Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
Meaningful equity compensation.
Generous PTO and expectation that all employees take significant time off to rest, recharge, and enjoy life outside work.
Excellent health insurance with 100% of healthcare, vision and dental premiums covered.
401(k) with company match.