Sr. Development Engineer

About AIRCO AIRCO™ develops advanced technologies for energy security and global resiliency. The company makes drop-in e-fuels that can power transportation across air, land, sea and space. Its modular MAD Fuel System ™ combines the company's proprietary catalysts, compact hardware, and locally available power to produce fuels to spec wherever they’re needed, turning distributed energy into ready-to-use fuel. Led by co-founder and CEO Gregory Constantine (a 2026 EY Entrepreneur of the Year), the company has been awarded government contracts, including from the U.S. Department of War, NASA and the Department of Energy (DoE), and has investment and commercial partners with groups such as In-Q-Tel, GE Aerospace, Toyota Ventures, Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines among others. The Position We are seeking a Senior Development Engineer to play a critical role in commercializing AIRCO’S Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) technology. This role is highly hands-on, combining first-principles engineering with pilot-scale execution to generate the experimental data and mechanistic models required for scale-up and Engineering Design Information (EDI) delivery. This individual will play a key role in the design and execution of concepting, executing, and evaluating experimental programs to enable robust yield and performance models, supporting Engineering Design Information package (EDI) delivery. The position requires close integration of experimental work, analytical characterization to build mechanistic understanding and develop solid numerical models of process reactions and separations. This role is based in New Britain, PA. What you get to do Develop and maintain first-principles process simulations and mechanistic models for reaction, separation, and integrated SAF production systems. Apply modeling, simulation, and data analytics to predict performance, support scale-up decisions, optimize process design, and reduce commercialization risk. Convert laboratory and pilot-scale results into Engineering Design Information (EDI), process design inputs, and technology performance projections. Lead the development of experimental strategies and pilot campaigns required to validate models, resolve technical uncertainties, and strengthen scale-up confidence. Partner with cross-functional teams to advance technology from development through demonstration and commercial deployment, while identifying opportunities for innovation and process improvement. What you bring to AIRCO M.S. or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline Significant experience in process development, process modeling, simulation, and scale-up engineering within chemical process industries. Strong grounding in thermodynamics, reaction engineering, and separation fundamentals Demonstrated ability to analyze large datasets and extract mechanistic insight, not just empirical fits Advanced experience with…