R&D Project Manager

Cyclic Materials Inc.•Kingston, ON

5d•CA$88,200 - CA$136,800•Hybrid

About The Position

Cyclic Materials is seeking an R&D Project Manager - Solvent Extraction Metallurgy to manage technical R&D projects focused on rare earth recycling, hydrometallurgical process development, scale-up, and commercialization. This role requires a blend of project management (60-70%) and technical expertise in solvent extraction and rare earth metallurgy (30-40%). The ideal candidate is a metallurgist or chemical/process engineer capable of leading multidisciplinary R&D teams, managing projects with clear scope, schedule, budget, and accountability, and ensuring technical robustness and practicality for scale-up. The role involves supporting project reviews, pilot campaigns, plant trials, and strategic partner meetings, with up to 30% business travel. The company is rapidly growing, backed by significant funding, and is focused on building the industrial backbone for a circular rare earth economy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemistry, Project Management (PMP) or a related technical field.
10+ years of experience in technical project management, multiple projects management, grant writing, industrial R&D, hydrometallurgy, chemical process development, critical minerals processing, recycling, mining, or manufacturing environments.
Demonstrated ability to manage technical projects using scopes, schedules, budgets, resource plans, risk registers, dashboards, action logs, decision records, and stage-gate deliverables.
5+ years leading R&D projects, pilot campaigns, commercial operations, process improvement workstreams, technology scale-up projects, capital-adjacent studies, or multidisciplinary technical programs.
Practical solvent extraction and hydrometallurgy knowledge, including aqueous chemistry, organic reagent systems, equilibrium behavior, circuit configuration, phase disengagement, impurity removal, and scale-up considerations.
Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and external partners without always relying on direct authority; able to drive accountability and remove barriers to execution.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convert complex technical details into clear business updates, options, risks, and recommendations.
Strong analytical and project-controls capability; proficiency with Excel, MS Project, Primavera, Power BI, Minitab, JMP, Python, process modeling tools, AI, or equivalent platforms is an asset.
Demonstrated commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, respectful collaboration, practical execution, and continuous improvement in a dynamic startup environment.
Ability to travel up to 30% for business purposes and work in office, laboratory, pilot plant, vendor, customer, partner, and operating plant environments.
Applicants for employment in the Canada and US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States or Canada and with Cyclic Materials (i.e., H1-B visa, F-1 visa (OPT), TN, L1-A visa or any other non-immigrant status).

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred.
Direct experience in Project Management involving rare earth elements, solvent extraction, hydrometallurgical flowsheets, critical minerals recycling, magnet recycling, or technology scale-up.
Project Management Professional (PMP), or comparable project delivery certification is an asset.
Experience translating bench-scale and pilot results into implementation of roadmaps, operating windows, design bases.
Professional Engineering designation or eligibility is an asset where applicable.

Responsibilities

Lead multiple R&D projects from intake and scope definition through execution, reporting, stage-gate review, handover, and close-out.
Develop project charters, work breakdown structures, schedules, budgets, resourcing plans, procurement inputs, milestone plans, and change-control processes.
Track schedule, cost, resources, technical progress, risks, issues, dependencies, action items, decisions, and deliverables using clear and disciplined project management tools.
Prepare decision packages, readiness reviews, test campaign plans, technical summaries, risk assessments, and stage-gate materials for leadership and project sponsors.
Coordinate metallurgists, scientists, engineers, technicians, operations, EHS, procurement, finance, and other key stakeholders as required.
Provide concise project updates, executive summaries, dashboards, presentations, meeting minutes, and escalation notes.
Build and maintain risk registers, mitigation plans, issue logs, contingency plans, decision records, and lessons learned for R&D, pilot, and plant-facing activities.
Translate R&D outcomes into practical implementation plans, operating envelopes, design inputs, SOP requirements, commissioning inputs, and plant trial plans.
Ensure R&D projects are planned and executed with appropriate EHS reviews, chemical hygiene controls, waste management practices, management of change, and safe work practices.
Provide metallurgy input during project scoping, experimental planning, test campaign design, data review, and decision-making.
Guide work involving extraction, scrubbing, stripping, phase separation, impurity rejection, recycle streams, reagent systems, organic/aqueous ratios, acidity, pH, loading capacity, and product quality.
Optimize REE recovery, selectivity, purity, yield, throughput, reagent consumption, impurity control, phase disengagement, crud control, entrainment, and third-phase risk.
Identify technical risks when moving from bench to pilot, demonstration, or plant conditions, and ensure project plans include the right validation steps and decision criteria.
Ensure technical reports, flowsheet inputs, mass balances, metallurgical accounting, troubleshooting guides, and project close-out documents are accurate and actionable.