How engineers and technology workers can get a job in “Green Steel”
- H2 Green Steel is looking for technology talent around the world to work at a green steel plant in Sweden.
- The trend for decarbone steels is everywhere, said the company’s digital manager.
- In addition to creating an environmental impact, talent can gain experience in building a new company.
If you have ever needed an excuse to move to Sweden to help save the planet, you now have the chance.
H2 Green Steel, an environmentally friendly manufacturer of “green steel” based in Stockholm, employs over 100 engineers and other technology-related roles. Unlike traditional steel, which is made of carbon, green steel is made with hydrogen, which eliminates almost all CO2 emissions from the process.
Today, steel production accounts for 25% of Europe’s industrial CO2 emissions – more than all flights departing from the European Union. H2 Green Steel, and companies like that, offer goal-oriented jobseekers an alternative, says Olof Hernell, digital manager at H2 Green Steel.
For the past two years, Hernell says he can not remember a job interview with young technology and engineering talents where they did not ask about a company’s social responsibility. One third of Gen Z believes that climate change is a major concern, and high-paying climate technology jobs are expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.
Hernell is responsible for recruiting technical talent for the company, saying that traditional industries such as steel need technical staff to improve their operations and minimize the impact of steel production on the environment.
“There’s a huge difference between coal coming from steel and what comes from other things like consumption, travel and so on,” Hernell said. “There are many things we can change behaviorally, but we can not stop building bridges, we can not stop building houses, we can not stop building vehicles.”
By next summer, Hernell wants to grow the company with 45 more people 200 engineers and technical employees. Insider spoke with Hernell to learn more about what he is looking for in green steel talent – and the benefits of a Nordic move.
What is “green” steel, and why does it need technical talent?
H2 Green Steel was founded in 2020 and will in 2024 start full production at its location in Boden, Sweden. In 2030, the company aims to produce five million tonnes of fossil-free steel annually.
At H2 Green Steel, green steel is produced by using hydrogen instead of coal to reduce iron ore, which means that the plant emits water, not carbon dioxide. This process allows the plant to extract 95% of carbon dioxide emissions per tonne of steel produced, says Hernell, a process that requires skilled engineers and technical talents to optimize.
One example is to use machine learning to predict energy prices hour by hour, and to forecast frequencies in the energy network that the plant will be part of.
“By putting people in machine learning, computer science and algorithmic optimization on this problem working side by side with electrical and hydrogen experts,” said Hernell, “we will be able to have a fundamental competitive advantage, as we will produce our hydrogen. % or 15% lower prices. “
Hernell also wants to recruit technical talent to help him build a digital factory, “where machines capture and sew together data points – such as temperature and rolling speeds – across the factory.” Over time, he said, this will allow the company to track the type and amount of energy it takes to produce different products.
When looking for young talent, Hernell said he wants people who can share his passion and commitment to influencing the climate and sustainability. And since H2 Green Steel is still at an early stage, talent should be able to handle larger areas of responsibility working with more experienced colleagues.
“It’s not being close to power, it’s being close to experiencing,” he said. “I like working with talented, smart and knowledgeable people.”
Why H2 Green Steel?
Although some of its technical roles are flexible at a distance, getting a job at H2 Green Steel can mean moving to the head office in Stockholm or further north in Boden once the facility is up and running. But Hernell said that Sweden itself is an attraction for international talent to move there for work.
“If you move to Sweden to build the future of steel production, you will work in a country that has free education for all,” said Hernell. “There is free childcare, health care is free, you have one year of total parental leave.”
Like the talent he wants to attract, Hernell began his career in technology. Before joining H2 Green Steel, he worked at Google and was then CDO of EQT, one of the largest private equity firms in the world.
Leaving EQT for H2 Green Steel was an easy choice, Hernell said. As H2 Green Steel builds from the ground up, new talent is part of building the new generation of industrial impact companies.
“I spent a while talking to the youngest people in the company and asked what the value is,” Hernell said. “It’s the sustainability thing, but other than that, a very common response here is access to people. You’ll work really, really close to the sharpest brains in this industry.”