Critical Minerals Technical Advisor, Gov't BD

Battelle • ARLINGTON, VA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Battelle is seeking a Critical Minerals Technical Advisor, Government Business Development, to help shape and grow its work across the critical minerals and rare earth elements value chain. This client-facing position applies technical expertise to government markets, mission needs, and emerging national priorities. The successful candidate will bring a technical, scientific, engineering, programmatic, consulting, or industry background, including demonstrated success supporting federal government growth strategies focused on critical minerals recovery as a technical, program, or growth lead.

Working with business development leaders, technical experts, program managers, and strategic partners, the advisor will identify and qualify opportunities, engage government stakeholders, shape technical solutions, inform market and account strategies, and translate client needs into actionable pursuits. The position connects government mission requirements, industry developments, Battelle’s technical capabilities, and teams developing and executing new business opportunities.

The role may address areas across the critical-minerals value chain, including resource characterization, extraction, mineral processing, separation, refining, recycling, recovery from secondary sources, process scale-up, and alternative-material technologies. Travel to client locations, conferences, partner meetings, and Battelle facilities may be required up to 50% of the time. U.S. citizenship is required, and the employee must be able to obtain and maintain a government security clearance if required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mining engineering, metallurgical engineering, materials science and engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, geosciences, environmental engineering, or another field relevant to critical minerals, rare earth elements, mineral processing, or advanced materials.
• At least ten years of relevant experience in critical minerals, rare earth elements, mining, mineral processing, metallurgy, extractive technologies, materials recovery, recycling, supply-chain resilience, or a related technical field.
• Successful acquisition and management of a federal award for critical minerals research focused on materials or geologic characterization or recovery.
• Active participation in the current dialogue about establishing a U.S. critical-minerals value chain, in areas such as extraction, beneficiation, separation, processing, refining, recovery, recycling, or technology scale-up.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to technical and nontechnical audiences, including government clients, business leaders, researchers, program managers, and potential partners.
• Ability to connect scientific or engineering capabilities to broader client missions, operational needs, market opportunities, and strategic objectives.
• Strong analytical, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams and manage multiple priorities, relationships, and opportunity-development activities.
• Willingness to travel to client locations, conferences, partner meetings, and Battelle facilities as business needs require; travel may be up to 50%.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a government security clearance if required.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline.
• Broad understanding of the critical-minerals ecosystem, including government priorities, industry participants, technology developers, research institutions, and supply-chain considerations.
• Prior experience engaging the Department of Energy, Department of War, Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, national laboratories, or other government organizations responsible for critical minerals, energy, materials, national security, or industrial resilience.
• Experience supporting government-funded research, technology development, demonstrations, pilot programs, or commercialization activities.
• Familiarity with government acquisition, research funding, contracting, proposal development, or competitive procurement processes.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with government clients, industry partners, research organizations, and other stakeholders involved in critical minerals, rare earth elements, advanced materials, and supply-chain resilience.
• Participate in client meetings, industry events, technical conferences, workshops, and other forums to understand emerging priorities, capability gaps, funding directions, and mission requirements.
• Partner with business development and technical leadership to develop client engagement plans, account strategies, and targeted conversations.
• Represent technical concepts clearly and usefully to government decision-makers.
• Monitor government priorities, acquisition activity, research funding, policy developments, and industry trends to identify potential opportunities.
• Identify, assess, qualify, and prioritize opportunities that align with Battelle’s critical-minerals strategy and technical capabilities.
• Provide technical perspective during opportunity qualification, including assessment of client needs, technical fit, competitive differentiation, potential partners, solution maturity, and execution considerations.
• Identify teaming partners, technology providers, universities, laboratories, and industry collaborators that strengthen Battelle’s position.
• Help develop and refine Battelle’s critical-minerals government market strategy based on client priorities, technical trends, competitive activity, funding direction, and Battelle’s capabilities.
• Translate government mission challenges into potential technical approaches, research programs, demonstrations, pilots, and scalable solutions.
• Connect client needs with Battelle expertise in science, engineering, applied research, technology development, testing, evaluation, demonstration, and scale-up.
• Contribute to strategic roadmaps, market assessments, account plans, investment recommendations, and opportunity-specific win strategies.
• Bring the voice of the customer into internal planning and help technical teams understand government stakeholders’ desired outcomes, constraints, and decision factors.
• Maintain awareness of scientific, engineering, commercial, regulatory, and policy developments affecting critical minerals and rare earth elements.
• Provide technical insight across relevant areas of the value chain, including resource characterization, extraction, mineral processing, separation, refining, recycling, recovery from secondary sources, process scale-up, and alternative-material technologies.

Benefits

• Compressed work schedule that generally provides every other Friday off without using vacation time.
• Hybrid work flexibility, with a stated model of 60% in-office and 40% remote, subject to team and position needs.
• Paid time off.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with wellness incentives and benefits, plus optional supplemental benefits.
• Partner coverage, gender-affirming care and health support, and family formation support.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan; for most employees Battelle contributes 5% whether or not the employee contributes and matches employee contributions.
• Tuition assistance for higher education.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior