Process Designer / Drafter

ABOUT US:

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

Job Title: Process Designer / Drafter

Location: Omaha, NE (Preferred) / Midwest US (Open to regional candidates)

Role Type: Full-Time

Role Summary

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.

Key Responsibilities

• 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.

Requirements

• 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.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance plans available.

Bluestem is an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.