Senior Commercial Hydro Metallurgist

Job Overview

The Senior Commercial Hydrometallurgist bridges the gap between technical process engineering and corporate financial strategy. This role scales bench‑top hydrometallurgical concepts into commercially viable, industrial‑scale processing plants. You will drive metallurgical process design, optimize existing flowsheets, and build robust technoeconomic models to guide capital investment decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Process Design & Simulation

• Build, calibrate, and optimize steady‑state process simulation models using Metsim .
• Define complex unit operations including leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange, electrowinning, and precipitation.
• Scale bench‑scale and pilot‑plant data into full‑scale industrial process flowsheets.

Mass & Energy Balance

• Develop rigorous, elemental mass and energy balances for complex multi‑component systems.
• Track deleterious elements, water balances, and reagent consumption across the entire flowsheet.
• Identify process bottlenecks, yield inefficiencies, and opportunities for metal recovery optimization.

Commercial & Technoeconomic Analysis (TEA)

• Lead technoeconomic evaluations for scoping, pre‑feasibility (PFS), and definitive feasibility studies (DFS).
• Estimate capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) for hydrometallurgical facilities.
• Conduct sensitivity analyses on volatile inputs like reagent costs, energy prices, and metal recovery rates.
• Translate technical engineering metrics into financial KPIs including NPV, IRR, and payback periods for executive leadership.

Technical Project Management

• Manage metallurgical testwork programs conducted at external commercial laboratories.
• Collaborate with engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) teams during detailed design phases.
• Draft comprehensive technical reports, process descriptions, and investment memorandums.

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Degree : Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Extractive Metallurgy.
• Experience : 8‑12 years of experience in hydrometallurgical process engineering, with a strong focus on commercial or corporate development environments.

Technical Skills

• Metsim Proficiency : Advanced capability in building dynamic or steady‑state Metsim models from scratch.
• Mass Balance : Expert Excel/VBA or specialized software skills for mass balance validation and data reconciliation.
• Financial Acumen : Proven experience building detailed engineering cost models and TEA frameworks.
• Chemistry Knowledge : Deep understanding of aqueous chemistry, thermodynamics, and kinetics.

Salary range: $110K to $140K.