Process Designer / Drafter

We use American corn and existing bioethanol infrastructure to produce critical chemicals right here at home—powering U.S. competitiveness and securing our nation's supply chains - while reinvesting in agricultural America. Bluestem Biosciences has engineered a breakthrough in American manufacturing. Our proprietary biomanufacturing process represents a new, cost-effective, and advantaged way to produce platform chemicals domestically. With the foundation of existing infrastructure, we convert abundant, renewable American corn into high-value chemicals at scale. 🌽 JOIN US AS WE ACCELERATE TO COMMERCIALIZATION

We are seeking a motivated Process Designer/Drafter to join our Process Design & Operations team. In this role, you will be the visual architect of our scale-up efforts, translating our cutting-edge laboratory and pilot-scale innovations into detailed engineering designs and 3D plant models. Reporting to the VP of Process Design & Operations, you will support the generation of comprehensive technical drawings and play a key role in drafting the infrastructure that defines our commercialization strategy.

This is a high-growth role designed for a designer who thrives on variety. You will bridge the gap between process engineering concepts and physical reality, working closely with internal teams and external engineering partners. If you are a continuous learner who is comfortable with ambiguity and eager to help build the future of bioindustrial technology from the ground up, this role offers a front-row seat to the commercialization of manufacturing infrastructure.

• →Generate Detailed 3D Models: Utilize advanced design suites to create accurate 3D equipment layouts, piping arrangements, and structural models for bio-industrial facilities.
• →Develop Technical Drawing Packages: Draft and update critical process drawings, including Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), and detailed isometric piping schematics.
• →Integrate Piping Specifications: Apply standard pipe specifications, material choices, and industrial standards (ASME/ANSI) to model routing, valves, and inline components.
• →Equipment Layout & Modeling: Detail standard industrial equipment—such as pumps, heat exchangers, distillation columns, tanks, and filtration units—ensuring proper accessibility, maintenance clearances, and safety constraints.
• →Collaborate with Engineering Teams: Act as a technical bridge between our internal R&D/Process Engineering teams and external engineering firms to seamlessly transition mass balances and Front-End Loading (FEL) packages into construction-ready designs.
• →Manage Drafting Standards: Maintain and organize the company's CAD standards, component libraries, and master drawing archives to ensure cross-project consistency.
• →Vendor & Material Coordination: Interface with equipment vendors and external fabricators to extract physical dimensional data and incorporate vendor drawings into the master plant model.

• Technical Education: Associate degree in Computer-Aided Drafting/Design, a related technical diploma, or equivalent hands-on industrial experience.
• Experience Level: 1–3 years of drafting and design experience in an industrial environment, with a strong preference for experience working within an engineering firm (EPC or EPCM).
• Software Proficiency: Advanced, hands-on familiarity with process design tools, specifically AutoCAD Plant 3D and Revit. Experience with other industry-standard modeling tools is a plus.
• Core Design Knowledge: A foundational understanding of industrial piping design, pipe specifications, standard instrumentation placement, and typical industrial process equipment.
• Data & Project Support: Familiarity with managing bill of materials (BOMs), equipment lists, and a passion for data organization.
• Communication Skills: The "soft skills" necessary to work effectively with diverse teams, from lab scientists and process engineers to external engineering partners and plant operators.
• Working Style: A proactive, "figure-it-out" mentality. You are as comfortable working through complex piping configurations in the office as you are participating in spatial field verifications to keep a project on schedule.