Lead Hydrometallurgy Engineer

Reports to: Director of Hydrometallurgy

Close collaboration with: CTO, Electrochemistry, R&D teams

Location: Kenilworth, NJ

Salary starts at: $156,000

Equity participation reflecting the scope and trust of the role

Competitive Benefits

Position Summary

The Lead Hydrometallurgical Engineer owns the hydrometallurgical core of the RACER process and is accountable for the experimental and scale-up program that turns bench-scale chemistry into robust pilot- and demonstration-scale unit operations. This is a senior leadership role for an engineer who sets the technical direction across leaching, separation, electrochemical reduction, co-product recovery, and feedstock diversification-not just executing, but defining the strategy behind experimentation and system scale up, prioritizing the experimental roadmap, and owning the outcomes that feed go/no-go decisions and economic models.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the Lead sets objectives in partnership with the Director of Hydrometallurgy and VP Engineering, then drives the work to completion with minimal oversight. The role carries direct responsibility for the technical standard of the team-experimental rigor, data quality, and process-design discipline-and for developing the engineers and technicians who execute alongside them. This is a hands-on leader, equally comfortable at the whiteboard, on the pilot system, and directing third-party engineering firms.

Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Ownership

• Own the hydrometallurgical experimental program end to end-setting the roadmap for copper extraction, co-product recovery, feedstock diversification, and process integration, and prioritizing campaigns against company objectives.
• Serve as the senior technical authority on unit-operation performance: leaching, separation, electrochemical reduction, and downstream recovery, including operating-envelope definition and troubleshooting.
• Translate bench-scale results into scalable pilot- and demonstration-scale process designs, identifying risks early and developing mitigation strategies.

Process Design & Execution

• Develop and maintain process flowsheets, mass and energy balances, and equipment specifications across pilot and demonstration scale.
• Specify, source, and commission process equipment and instrumentation in partnership with the controls and pilot teams.
• Lead characterization for copper and co-product recovery, including XRD, SEM, XRF, QEMSCAN, ICP-MS, and Fire Assay, with particular rigor for complex or impurity-bearing materials.
• Direct external engineering firms and consultants executing testwork, ensuring outputs reflect the chemistry of our closed-loop system.

Cross-Functional & Decision Support

• Analyze process data and deliver clear, well-documented technical reports that inform go/no-go decisions, economic models, and reports for government agencies.
• Collaborate with the CTO, VP of Commercialization, and Director of Hydrometallurgy to ensure the hydromet program aligns with commercial and regulatory directives.
• Mentor and develop junior engineers and technicians on experimental design, data analysis, and safe laboratory and pilot practice, setting the bar for technical quality across the team.
• Maintain detailed documentation of research work, methods, and results; uphold laboratory and pilot safety standards. Some travel will be required for feedstock and pilot testing.

Definition of Success

In the first 12 months, success looks like: end-to-end ownership of the hydrometallurgical experimental program, with a prioritized roadmap driving the team's scale-up decisions; reliable, well-documented process data feeding economic models and regulatory reporting; a measurable contribution to the demonstration-unit process design; and visible development of the engineers and technicians on the team.

Qualifications & Experience
Expected Competencies

• Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, metallurgical engineering, process engineering, or a related field; or a Master's/Ph.D. with commensurate experience.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in process engineering, hydrometallurgy, or a related industrial discipline (or a Ph.D./Master's plus equivalent experience), including a track record of owning programs and leading technical work with limited oversight.
• Proven experience in research design, execution, and analysis, including translating bench-scale results into pilot-scale performance.
• Strong command of mass and energy balances, flowsheet development, and equipment specification.
• Knowledge of relevant metals-extraction industry standards, regulations, and best practices.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to lead and collaborate effectively across cross-functional teams.

Strongly Preferred Experience

• Direct copper or base-metals hydrometallurgy experience, including with complex or impurity-bearing ores.
• Hands-on pilot-plant or demonstration-scale experience, including commissioning and troubleshooting of non-laboratory equipment at scale.
• Demonstrated expertise in solid, liquid, and gaseous phase characterization techniques (XRD, SEM, XRF, QEMSCAN, ICP-MS, Fire Assay).
• Experience integrating multiple unit operations into a continuous or semi-continuous process.
• Experience directing external engineering firms or managing third-party testwork.
• Familiarity with process controls, instrumentation, and real-time performance monitoring.

Nice-to-Have

• Experience with vanadium electrochemistry, sulfide leaching chemistry, or solvent extraction-electrowinning.
• Exposure to a startup or scaling organization moving from founder-led operations to formal systems.
• Spanish-language proficiency.

This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the duties and responsibilities of the position.