Lithium Carbonate Control Room Operator

Lithium Americas

30d•Onsite

About The Position

Lithium Americas is a North American resource and materials company focused on developing, building, and operating lithium deposits and chemical processing facilities. The company’s flagship asset, Thacker Pass, is located in Humboldt County in northern Nevada and is the world’s largest known measured lithium source and reserve. We are focused on safely and responsibly developing Thacker Pass to production to help strengthen national security and enable cleaner energy sources. We are committed to minimizing environmental impact, creating family-supporting jobs, and maximizing sustainable value for our stakeholders. We are seeking a Lithium Carbonate Control Room Operator to join our Lithium Carbonate Process Plant team. In this role, you will be responsible for the continuous operation, monitoring, and optimization of the upstream beneficiation and/or the downstream crystallization circuits in the production of lithium carbonate. Working within a Distributed Control System (DCS) environment, the operator ensures process stability, product quality, and compliance with safety and environmental standards. This position will be based at the Thacker Pass mine site during commissioning and steady state operations. The role reports to the Lithium Carbonate Shift Supervisor.

Requirements

High School Diploma, and 3+ years as a control room operator in a mineral processing or chemical manufacturing environment
Proficiency in Distributed Control System (DCS) operations (Honeywell, Yokogawa, Emerson, or equivalent)
Strong understanding of leaching, neutralization, precipitation, and crystallization principles
High attention to detail with the ability to diagnose process upsets under pressure.
Ability to read and comprehend plant Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID’s)
Competent and/or fluent with Microsoft Suite and other computer systems
Ability to remain calm and make quick decisions in high-pressure situations
Strong communication and teamwork skills, especially in coordinating with field operators
Be a self-starter: highly motivated, able to work independently, with high energy
Personal commitment to Lithium Americas’ Purpose, Vision, and Values

Responsibilities

Foster trusting relationships with all workgroups and promote a culture that aligns with our Purpose, Vision, and Values
Operate and monitor DCS systems covering mineral beneficiation, classification, leaching, neutralization, purification, filtration, crystallization and packaging circuits
Ability to configure and utilize the historian database to trend key equipment and process parameters for maximum productivity
Monitor critical process parameters such as feed tonnage, particle size distribution, pulp density, reagent addition, concentrate grade, and recovery
Direct field operators in performing adjustments, inspections, and troubleshooting tasks
Adjust setpoints to maintain process stability and meet product specifications (battery-grade or technical-grade lithium carbonate)
Respond to alarms and process deviations, implementing corrective actions to prevent safety, production, or quality impacts
Interpret real-time trends, mass balance data, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (extraction efficiency, recovery rates, impurity concentrations, etc.)
Collaborate with process engineers to optimize reagent consumption (e.g., soda ash, caustic soda, lime), energy usage, and brine throughput
Generate and maintain accurate reports on lithium grade, recovery, reagent consumption, and downtime events
Record downtime data into the issued database for timely and transparent reporting
Ensure process plant availability through timely identification, reporting, and follow through of variances identified during the shift rotations
Communicate effectively with process engineering and maintenance teams during equipment breakdowns, isolations, and restarts
Coordinate with the laboratory for online and offline sampling; integrate results into process adjustments
Maintain adherence to all safety and environmental requirements
Follow strict protocols for handling corrosive reagents and high-temperature equipment.
Support maintenance teams with isolation, lockout-tagout-tryout (LOTOTO), and process readiness for planned interventions
Contribute to hazard identification, risk assessments, and continuous improvement initiatives
Demonstrate strong safety and environmental compliance leadership, including accountability for identifying and escalating deviations from established standards
Perform other duties as assigned