Senior Process Engineer
Leads the design, commissioning, operation, and scale-up of pilot-scale critical-mineral refining processes in San Francisco. The role requires at least five years of relevant process engineering experience, hands-on equipment expertise, and collaboration with software and machine learning teams on plant optimization.
About the job
Responsibilities
- Operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and improve pilot-scale processing equipment with Pilot Plant Technicians.
- Design experiments to evaluate process performance, recovery, throughput, and product quality.
- Create and maintain engineering and operational documentation, including PFDs, HMBs, P&IDs, operating procedures, and process control narratives.
- Lead equipment design scopes from concept through procurement, fabrication, installation, commissioning, and handover to Operations.
- Collaborate with R&D, commercial plant design, and project execution teams to scale designs from laboratory to pilot and production scale.
- Work with software and machine learning teams to develop and implement reactor and plant optimization algorithms.
- Travel to pilot and commercial sites to support commissioning, startup, and ramp-up with operations and plant design teams.
Requirements
- B.S., M.S., or PhD in Chemical Engineering or a related field.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience supporting R&D scale-up, pilot plant operation, and/or commercial production in minerals processing, chemicals, specialty materials, oil and gas, or a similar industry.
- Strong understanding of reaction engineering, solid-liquid separation, leaching, ion exchange, solvent extraction, and/or similar unit operations.
- Hands-on experience designing, commissioning, and operating pilot- or commercial-scale process equipment.
- Ability to design experiments, solve problems, and analyze complex datasets.
- Strong commitment to health and safety, with experience in risk management, management of change, and hazard assessment.
- Excellent technical writing, communication, and teamwork skills.
- Comfort working in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.
Skills
Chemical Engineering, Reaction Engineering, Solid-Liquid Separation, Leaching, Ion Exchange, Solvent Extraction, Pilot Plant Operations, Process Equipment Design, Process Control, P&Ids, Experiment Design, Machine Learning, Risk Management, Hazard Assessment, Data Analysis
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