Distinguished Engineer, Extractive Metallurgy

Alta Resource Technologies•Boulder, CO

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Alta is seeking a Distinguished Engineer with recognized industry-level expertise in extractive metallurgy to join its Engineering and Operations team and shape the technical strategy for commercialization. The role serves as Alta’s internal technical authority on extractive metallurgy process technology, advising on process design and operations and guiding scale-up from laboratory through pilot and demonstration to commercial plants. The engineer will own and advance metallurgical process development and operational support across scales, contribute technical insight to business and technical decisions, and maintain the integrity of Alta’s end-to-end flowsheets. The position focuses on hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, including rare earth element extraction from ore bodies and end-of-life components. The engineer will work cross-functionally 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+ years of relevant extractive metallurgy experience; fewer years may be considered for PhD holders.
Hands-on design and operating experience in extractive metallurgy.
Established 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 and willingness to work full-time on-site at the Boulder office; occasional off-hours work may be required.
Strong desire to collaborate across chemistry, biology, and engineering disciplines.

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 across operating scales.
Own extractive metallurgical processes, including mechanical liberation, leaching, selective precipitation, impurity removal, roasting, and calcination.
Develop and own integrated flowsheets for commercial plants, including end-of-life magnet feeds and REE-bearing intermediates from primary sources.
Lead scale-up and TRL advancement, including testwork planning, data interpretation, and integration with engineering stages.
Own relationships and engagement with internal and external R&D resources, OEMs, and consultants.
Identify and mitigate technical risks related to scale-up, impurity control, reagent consumption, solids handling, and interactions with 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 technology subject matter expert for pilot, demonstration, and commercial projects.
Lead feasibility studies and project justification for new projects.
Advise internal design teams and EPCMs on commercial plant design and flowsheet deployment and validation 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 related to 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.
Troubleshoot major process issues across scales and create a pipeline of improvements.
Capture operating lessons and incorporate them into design and scale-up practices.
Act as a technical resource for Process Engineering, Operations, Chemistry, Biology, and the wider Engineering team.
Communicate process findings, risks, and recommendations to technical and cross-functional stakeholders.
Mentor engineers, operators, supervisors, and managers on hydrometallurgical fundamentals.