Principal Engineer – Technology Scale-Up

Location: Madison, WI (Relocation support available)

Piper Maddox is exclusively partnered with an innovative, high-growth clean technology company at a critical stage of scaling its core platform from demonstration through commercialization.

This is a high-impact Principal Engineer hire, sitting at the intersection of R&D and full-scale deployment—ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced, engineering-driven environments and has a track record of bringing breakthrough technologies to life.

The Opportunity

This role is central to advancing the company’s technology beyond the lab and into real-world application. You’ll work alongside a deeply technical team of scientists and engineers, acting as the bridge between research and execution.

The environment is best suited to individuals with a high-intensity, execution-focused engineering mindset.

What You’ll Lead

• Driving process design and engineering scale-up from pilot through demonstration and into commercial deployment
• Translating bench-scale innovation into scalable, real-world systems
• Acting as a cross-functional integrator, aligning R&D, engineering, and commercialization efforts
• Challenging and refining technical approaches to ensure practicality, efficiency, and scalability
• Partnering with scientific teams to accelerate timelines while maintaining technical rigor
• Supporting system design, development, and optimization in a fast-moving, hardware-focused environment

Background Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in engineering roles within clean tech, chemicals, energy, or advanced manufacturing
• Proven track record of taking technologies from lab to pilot to scale
• Strong experience in process engineering, system design, and scale-up of complex technologies
• Ability to operate as a technical leader without needing to be the domain expert in every discipline
• Experience working in high-growth, fast-paced environments with evolving priorities
• Strong communication skills with the ability to earn credibility across highly technical teams while driving accountability