Job Description

Would you like to have a hand in removing billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere and locking it away permanently, safely and cheaply? Are you a human Swiss army knife with a passion for reversing climate change?

Aquarry is a very early stage startup working to convert mine pit lakes into massive carbon sinks. After closure, open pit mines will passively fill with groundwater, creating a pit lake. Water quality is often poor, and without treatment these systems pose a threat to communities and wildlife. More recently-formed pit lakes do get treated in places where environmental laws are enforced, but at a cost and with few beneficial end uses. We’ll use these degraded water bodies to capture up to tens of millions of tons of CO2 per site—as beneficial an end use as there’s ever been. With thousands of sites globally the potential impact is huge.

Our process is a hybrid of two emerging carbon dioxide removal techniques, enhanced rock weathering and ocean alkalinity enhancement, maintaining the best aspects of both while solving their challenges. The result is inexpensive, measurable, permanent, and scalable carbon storage with co-benefits to mine remediation.

We’re seeking an entrepreneurial, highly motivated engineer to lead our efforts to move from beakers to field trials to a pilot with our committed mining partner at a site in Canada. This role is responsible for getting our technology to deployment. You will prioritize critical technological risks, identify the performance levels required at scale, and bridge the gap from our current performance today via a rigorous experimental plan. If this doesn’t excite you, it’s probably not a good fit.

The role is in-person full time in Golden, CO, with regular travel (frequency TBD) to Canada beginning 2026. Compensation includes salary, significant equity, and health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). Salaries and benefits will increase as we obtain additional funding in 2025.

Responsibilities:

• Ownership of technical plan to de-risk our technology and scale from the bench to the field, including dissolution of alkaline mineral feedstocks, contaminant removal, air-water contacting for CO2 uptake, and design of field trials on-site using mesocosms
• Laboratory work to support technical de-risking as needed, transitioning into more high level planning and management work as we grow
• Refining our techno-economic model based on lab, model, and industry data
• Reporting on technical progress and direction to the CEO, investors, and clients
• Growing our IP portfolio
• Contributing to grant proposals

The ideal candidate has:

• A graduate-level degree in engineering (mechanical, materials, chemical, civil, environmental) or the geosciences (geochemistry, geology, hydrology) and 5+ years industry experience or an undergraduate degree and 7+ years experience
• The ability to thrive in environments with a high degree of uncertainty
• Previously scaled a mining or water treatment process from the lab to pilot, raising TRL from 3/4 to 8/9
• Understanding of how to set reasonable yet ambitious goals, timelines, and budgets
• Built and managed technical teams with diverse skillsets
• A track record of working safely in labs and in the field
• A problem-solving mindset and a “get it done” attitude
• The right to work in the US for at least the next 2 years and willingness to travel to Canada several times per year

And even better if you:

• Are familiar with geochemical and hydrologic modeling (e.g., PHREEQC, Geochemists’ Workbench, CE-QUALW2, PITLAKQ)
• Have experience with GIS systems (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine)
• Have experience in carbon removal or carbonate geochemistry
• Have granted patents

Aquarry is committed to building a workplace of mutual respect and inclusion for all employees. We welcome all applicants and strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQA+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. Applicants will not be discriminated against based on their race, color, caste, religion, national origin, disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, status as a parent, veteran and/or military status, or political affiliation. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need.

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