Coating Process Engineer

The Role

At Notpla, we’re at the forefront of sustainable innovation, creating natural alternatives to single-use plastic packaging that are carefully engineered to help build a healthier planet. Founded on the belief that nature knows best, we’re an innovative, action-oriented scale-up developing and manufacturing uncompromisingly natural packaging solutions from seaweed and plants.

As a Coating Process Engineer in the Innovation team, you’ll help turn breakthrough natural material technologies into scalable solutions. This role sits at the critical intersection of material science and industrial-scale coating processes, where you'll use your process engineering skills to develop and transform innovative biomaterial solutions in the very early stages into commercially viable packaging alternatives that replace single-use plastics.

This is an exciting time to join Notpla - we’re on the brink of a record-breaking year for revenue and on track for major growth in the next 18-24 months. To support this, we have just secured a £20 million Series A+ fundraise, enabling us to scale our growth and environmental impact faster than ever.

Beyond offering meaningful roles and a vibrant working environment, Notpla provides competitive compensation, including EMI Share Options, a zero-carbon pension scheme, discounts with local businesses, and subsidised social activities. Our office-first hybrid working policy lets you work in the way that maximises your productivity while maintaining a dynamic and collaborative atmosphere. We’re a social business with regular clubs and events, and we’re proud of how our diverse, mission-driven community works together to make plastic disappear.

Led by strong values, all Notpla employees are encouraged to take ownership of their domain, enjoying a high degree of autonomy. Our aim is to build an inspiring culture reflected in our working policies, environment, and people.

We’re looking for someone with a strong foundation in process engineering and exposure to coating technologies. You'll work hands-on in both the laboratory and on pilot facilities, designing and executing coating trials, troubleshooting process challenges, and building technical knowledge that advances Notpla's mission across multiple concurrent projects. This role will be operating shoulder-to-shoulder with material scientists, material & product designers, and business development managers. You'll drive your own projects from concept through pilot-scale validation and have the opportunity to build your knowledge of coating processes while working within a highly collaborative team.

This is a role for someone who sees process engineering as a creative discipline, where the challenge of making natural materials perform in existing industrial infrastructure is just as exciting as the science of the materials themselves. You'll be pioneering coating processes for materials that don't yet have established playbooks, constantly learning, adapting, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible when nature meets engineering.

Key Responsibilities:

Material & Process Development

• Drive natural material development projects from early stage trials through to scalable solutions.

• Design, execute and analyse coating trials in-house and with external partners, using process engineering principles to optimise performance.

• Develop and optimise coating processes for packaging applications, including extrusion, water-based and other paper coating technologies.

• Troubleshoot process challenges using root cause analysis and corrective actions.

• Scale processes from laboratory to pilot stage, identifying and addressing scale-up challenges.

• Build an understanding of how natural materials behave during coating, including rheology, adhesion, film formation and drying.

• Characterise coating performance through barrier, adhesion and mechanical testing.

• Plan and manage your workload across multiple concurrent projects.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & External Partnerships

• Collaborate with material scientists, designers, commercial teams and other specialists to solve technical challenges.

• Work across disciplinary boundaries to develop practical, integrated solutions.

• Build and manage relationships with academic institutions, commercial labs, equipment suppliers and other external partners.

• Provide technical input into grant proposals and client projects.

Feasibility & Strategic Technical Planning

• Conduct feasibility studies and pathfinding projects to evaluate process options for emerging material solutions.

• Develop technical strategies to solve coating and process engineering challenges.

• Identify relevant technologies, industry developments and equipment partnerships that could unlock new capabilities.

Data Analysis, Documentation & Communication

• Design experiments, analyse trial data and translate findings into clear recommendations.

• Document processes and technical learnings to build institutional knowledge.

• Communicate technical concepts clearly to a range of audiences through written, visual and verbal formats.

• Contribute technical content to patent applications and intellectual property development.

Qualifications & Experience

• Relevant degree in Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Packaging Engineering or a related field with an understanding of challenges of scaling up.

• Diverse experience with Paper Coating processes for packaging (extrusion coating, flexo, gravure, etc.)

• Proven track record of developing, improving and troubleshooting manufacturing processes and delivering technical breakthroughs.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to diverse audiences

• Strong relationship management with manufacturing partners and cross-functional collaboration experience

• Comfortable working in ambiguity, with agile methodologies in a fast-paced environment and adept at collaborating across various disciplines

• Manage trial logistics and willingness to travel frequently for partner collaborations, trials, consortium meetings among others

• Strong make-it-happen attitude.

Salary