Distinguished Engineer, Extractive Metallurgy
About The Position
Alta is seeking a Distinguished Engineer with recognized expertise in extractive metallurgy to join its Engineering and Operations team and shape technical strategy for commercialization. The role serves as Alta’s internal technical authority on extractive metallurgy process technology, advising on design and operations and guiding scale-up from laboratory work through pilot and demonstration to commercial plants. The engineer will advance metallurgical process development and operational support across scales, translate technical insight into decision-making recommendations, and help maintain the technical integrity of Alta’s end-to-end flowsheets. The position focuses on hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, including extraction of rare earth elements from ore bodies and end-of-life components. The engineer will collaborate with R&D, Process Design Engineering, Plant Operations, and other disciplines to improve yield, purity, and process robustness. The role requires full-time, on-site presence at Alta’s Boulder office and may occasionally involve off-hours work.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
- 12 or more years of relevant extractive metallurgy experience; fewer years may be considered for PhD holders.
- Hands-on design and operating experience in extractive metallurgy.
- Experience with mechanical liberation and separation, leaching, impurity removal, precision separation, solvent extraction, ion exchange, roasting, calcination, filtration, and precipitation.
- Experience with processes across multiple scales, including pilot or demonstration and commercial plants.
- Strong quantitative skills, including mass balances, data analysis, and experimental design.
- Experience working for operating companies, engineering companies, and/or licensors.
- Demonstrated ability to serve as a technical advisor to leadership, design, and operations teams.
- Ability to work full-time on-site at the Boulder office; the role may occasionally involve off-hours work.
Nice To Haves
- Direct experience with rare earth ores, concentrates, or recycled feedstock.
- Experience scaling up critical mineral technologies, including first-of-a-kind (FOAK) technologies.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver technical results against fixed milestones and compressed timelines.
- Knowledge of industrial-scale chromatography separation.
Responsibilities
- Provide metallurgical subject matter expertise to R&D, design, and operations teams across operational scales.
- Own extractive metallurgy process technology, including mechanical liberation, leaching, selective precipitation, impurity removal, roasting, and calcination.
- Develop and own integrated flowsheets for commercial-scale plants, including end-of-life magnet feeds and REE-bearing intermediates from primary sources.
- Lead scale-up and technology readiness advancement, including testwork planning, data interpretation, and integration with engineering stages.
- Manage engagement with internal and external R&D resources, OEMs, and external consultants.
- Identify and mitigate technical risks related to scale-up, impurity control, reagent consumption, solids handling, and effects on or from other processes.
- Develop standard processes for flowsheet development and validation.
- Develop and maintain the Process Technology Manual for use across plant scales, design, operation, and maintenance.
- Serve as the technology subject matter expert for pilot, demonstration, and commercial projects.
- Lead feasibility studies for new projects and project justification.
- Advise internal design teams and EPCMs on commercial plant design and deployment and validation of flowsheets through engineering stages FEL1–3 and DE.
- Provide safety, environmental, design, and operability guidance to design teams.
- Perform design reviews and technical risk assessments, and resolve technical queries concerning process technology.
- Advise on metallurgical unit-operation selection using safety, CAPEX, and OPEX analyses supported by experience, data, or testing.
- Lead vendor and EPC/EPCM discussions on process technology from the owner's perspective.
- Lead commissioning, performance qualification, start-up, and operator training.
- Develop technology-related standards and guidelines, including Basis of Safety and Basis of Operation.
- Develop technical talent through mentoring and training.
- Provide technical support across scales by troubleshooting major process issues and creating a pipeline of improvements.
- Capture operating lessons and feed them back into design and scale-up practices.
- Act as a technical resource for Process Engineering, Operations, Chemistry, Biology, and the broader Engineering team.
- Communicate process findings, risks, and recommendations to technical and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Mentor engineers, operators, supervisors, and managers on hydrometallurgical fundamentals.
Benefits
- 401(k) with company match
- Medical, dental, and vision plans (or equivalent)
- Flexible time off
- Paid parental leave
- Paid sick leave
- Generous holiday schedule
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
