In a pilot lab and across the production plant, you lead the technology-development work that improves biodiesel manufacturing — new feedstock processing, catalyst chemistries, pretreatment systems, and the engineering changes that lift yield, quality, or operating economics.
A typical week tends to involve bench work, pilot trials, and plant-side process implementation — running experimental batches in the pilot reactor, analyzing results, working with plant engineers on full-scale trials, documenting changes that move into the operating SOPs. Yield improvements achieved and process changes implemented at plant scale are how progress shows up.
The challenging part is often the gap between bench performance and plant reality — a chemistry that works in a 5-gallon reactor doesn't always scale to 50,000 gallons cleanly. Variance across employers is real: integrated refiners run biodiesel tech development within broader research organizations; pure-play producers run leaner teams with closer plant integration.
The work tends to fit folks who bring ChemE depth, plant-process instincts, and patience with the iteration cycle. PE, ChemE PhD or master's, and process-engineering credentials anchor advancement. The compromise is the slow visible payoff of technology-development work — meaningful yield improvements often take years from concept to plant implementation.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Engineering roles →In a pilot lab and across the production plant, you lead the technology-development work that improves biodiesel manufacturing — new feedstock processing, catalyst chemistries, pretreatment systems, and the engineering changes that lift yield, quality, or operating economics.
Median pay for a Biodiesel Technology Development Manager is about $168K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $111K to $208K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Systems Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making, and Writing.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.8% through 2034, with roughly 210,340 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Development Director, Process Development Engineer, and Biofuels Operations Manager.
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