9.1. Principal R&D Scientist

Job Description

Job Description

About Phoenix Tailings  

Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly growing clean mining and metals production startup dedicated to sustainable and economic critical metals production. Our mission is to be the world’s first fully clean mining and metals production company—unlocking the materials required for aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing while eliminating waste and emissions from mining. 

Why Phoenix Tailings  

At Phoenix, we believe nothing great is ever accomplished alone—or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. You’ll be joining a team building the  foundational infrastructure for the modern world , developing entirely new ways to produce rare earth and critical metals domestically, cleanly, and at scale. 

Our Values:   

● You are only crazy if you are wrong, it’s ok to be wrong

● Lead with Compassion

● Be Resourceful

● Listen

● Hustle

Who We Are Looking For:  

Phoenix Tailings is looking for a Principal R&D Scientist to drive the development of new ligand systems and synthetic chemistry platforms that improve the recovery, separation, and production of critical metals. This role will directly shape the chemistry behind Phoenix Tailings’ clean metals technology, helping turn advanced molecular design into scalable processes that power the technologies of today and tomorrow.  

• Design and synthesize novel ligands, extractants, and functional molecules for selective recovery and purification of rare earth elements and critical metals.
• Develop structure-property relationships that connect ligand design, metal selectivity, extraction performance, stability, and process compatibility.
• Build and optimize synthetic routes for target molecules with a focus on yield, purity, reproducibility, safety, and scalability.
• Evaluate ligand-metal interactions, extraction efficiency, kinetics, degradation behavior, and performance under process-relevant conditions.
• Use analytical and characterization tools to confirm compound identity, purity, reaction outcomes, and metal separation performance.
• Translate laboratory chemistry into practical process inputs that improve Phoenix Tailings’ clean metals production platform.
• Generate technical reports, experimental plans, data packages, and recommendations that guide R&D and technology development decisions.
• Identify new molecular design strategies that expand Phoenix Tailings’ capabilities in rare earth and critical metals production.

• PhD in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Organometallic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Chemistry, or a related field.
• 5–10+ years of experience in ligand design, synthetic chemistry, separations chemistry, hydrometallurgy, extractive metallurgy, or applied chemical R&D.
• Hands-on experience designing, synthesizing, purifying, and characterizing organic, inorganic, organometallic, or coordination chemistry systems.
• Strong understanding of metal-ligand binding behavior, selectivity tuning, structure-property relationships, and chemical performance optimization.
• Proficiency with analytical and characterization techniques such as NMR, LC-MS, GC-MS, HPLC, FTIR, UV-Vis, ICP-OES/MS, or related tools.

This pay range reflects best estimate for the total cash compensation which includes salary + discretionary bonus for this role. Total package  may vary based on experience and qualifications.

Pay Range: $150,000- $200,000 total cash compensation plus equity

• Healthcare: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employee.
• Stock Options: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company. 
• Time Off: Unlimited PTO. 
• Learning: Learning and development opportunities to grow your skills and career. 

At Phoenix Tailings, we have an open culture that values learning, and we are looking to grow the team with enthusiastic individuals who share our vision of sustainable mining.  

Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at all levels. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information, or any other applicable protected characteristics, and these characteristics will not be a factor for consideration of any work-related decisions (including but not limited to hiring, firing, compensation, and discipline). 

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.