2.3. Mineralogist – Rare Earth Elements

Phoenix Tailings • Burlington, MA

1d

About The Position

Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly growing clean mining and metals production startup dedicated to sustainable and economic critical metals production. Our mission is to be the world’s first fully clean mining and metals production company—delivering the resources essential to power the technology of today and tomorrow.

At Phoenix, we believe that nothing great is ever accomplished alone—or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. If you're driven by the urgency of securing domestic rare earth supply chains and excited to help redefine how the world sources these critical materials—this is the place for you.

Phoenix Tailings is looking for a Mineralogist with hands on experience in rare earth element-bearing minerals and their associated gangue. You’ll play a pivotal role in helping us unlock and optimize REE extraction pathways from unconventional sources like industrial waste and tailings. Your mineralogical insights will directly shape our clean, scalable recovery technologies and accelerate the availability of REEs vital to electrification, defense, and advanced manufacturing.

Requirements

• PhD or Master’s in Mineralogy, Geology, Earth Sciences, or related field, with a focus on rare earth or critical metal systems
• 2+ years of experience (academic or industry) with mineralogical analysis of REE-bearing materials
• Proficiency in analytical tools for rare earth mineral identification and quantification: XRD, SEM-EDS, QEMSCAN, and optical microscopy
• Strong understanding of REE mineral chemistry and associations with host rock or tailings matrices
• Hands-on experience with mineral processing or separation techniques relevant to REEs
• Ability to translate mineralogical data into process insights and actionable recommendations
• Strong communication skills and the ability to operate in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment
• Translate complex mineralogical insights into actionable technical guidance

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with sustainable or unconventional feedstocks (e.g., tailings, industrial waste) is a plus

Responsibilities

• Characterize REE-bearing minerals (e.g., monazite, bastnäsite, xenotime) and associated phases using tools such as XRD, SEM-EDS, optical microscopy, and QEMSCAN
• Identify, quantify, and track rare earth mineral phases across feedstocks, intermediates, and residues to inform extraction pathways
• Develop mineralogical workflows that improve rare earth recovery, separation efficiency, and overall process economics
• Design and conduct hands-on mineral separation experiments and sample prep for downstream processing
• Interpret complex mineral assemblages to assist in designing metallurgical flowsheets for REE extraction
• Provide technical recommendations to R&D and chemical engineering teams based on real-time mineralogical data
• Maintain and operate mineral characterization tools in a lab-scale environment with a high degree of autonomy
• Translate complex mineralogical insights into actionable technical guidance

Benefits

• Healthcare, we care about you and your family: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Stock: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
• Family Focus: Parental leave and flexibility for families.
• Time Off: Flexible vacation policy to encourage people to get out and see the world.
• Team Fun: Regularly scheduled events, and celebrations.
• Learning: Learning and development Opportunities to grow your skills and career.
• Great team: Working with fun, hard-working, kind people committed to making a difference!
• Flexible culture: We are results-focused. We don’t work at the office every day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time