Research Metallurgist - Hydrometallurgy

Cyclic Materials Inc.•Kingston, ON

9d•CA$90,000 - CA$120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Cyclic Materials is seeking a Research Metallurgist - Hydrometallurgy to design and execute research and process development programs. This role focuses on enhancing the in-house processing of rare earth elements and expanding technical capabilities. The ideal candidate is a hands-on metallurgist experienced in experimental design, laboratory and pilot-scale testing, data analysis, and translating results into practical improvements for commercial operations. The company is building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements and critical materials using proprietary processes to recover these elements from end-of-life products, producing high-purity materials essential for electric vehicles, electronics, AI infrastructure, wind turbines, defense, and advanced manufacturing. Founded in 2021, Cyclic Materials has secured significant funding and established commercial partnerships, positioning itself as a leader in rare earth recycling and a key player in the circular economy.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemistry, or a related technical field.
5+ years of hydrometallurgy, process development, mineral processing, chemical processing, or critical minerals recycling experience.
Strong understanding of hydrometallurgical unit operations such as leaching, precipitation, crystallization, filtration, thickening, clarification, impurity control, and solution purification.
Experience designing test programs, operating laboratory or pilot equipment, interpreting analytical data, and translating results into actionable process improvements.
Working knowledge of analytical techniques and sample preparation such as ICP-OES/ICP-MS, XRF, titration, ion chromatography, pH/ORP/conductivity measurements, particle size, and moisture/solids analysis.
Ability to perform mass balances, metallurgical accounting, recovery calculations, statistics, and structured data analysis.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex chemistry and process data to technical and non-technical audiences.
Demonstrated commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, collaboration, respect, and service-minded execution.
Ability to travel up to 30% for business purposes and to work effectively in office, laboratory, pilot plant, and industrial plant environments.

Nice To Haves

Master's or PhD preferred.
Rare earth experience strongly preferred.
Direct experience with rare earth element recycling, rare earth mineral processing, critical minerals hydrometallurgy, or magnet recycling.
Experience supporting pilot plants, commissioning, process troubleshooting, or commercial plant optimization.
Experience with DOE, process simulation, geochemical or aqueous chemistry modeling, or flowsheet development.

Responsibilities

Design, evaluate, and optimize metals recovery circuits including leaching, impurity removal, solid-liquid separation, precipitation/crystallization, solution purification, and reagent/water recycle.
Develop bench-scale and pilot-scale test plans using sound experimental design, sampling plans, mass balances, and clear success criteria.
Study extraction, dissolution, selectivity, impurity behavior, phase chemistry, product specifications, and factors affecting recovery and purity for Nd, Pr, Dy, Tb, and related elements.
Analyze process parameters, yields, product quality, losses, bottlenecks, and variability; prepare technical reports, dashboards, and recommendations.
Translate lab results into pilot and plant operating guidance, including operating envelopes, process control strategies, troubleshooting plans, and SOP updates.
Work with plant metallurgists, process engineers, operators, maintenance, environmental teams, and strategic partnerships to support projects, commissioning, optimization, and customer/product requirements.
Present results and recommendations to internal stakeholders; document work in high-quality technical memos, reports, test procedures, and presentations.
Plan and conduct laboratory and plant-facing work in alignment with safe work practices, chemical hygiene, waste management, PPE requirements, and environmental expectations.
Support technicians, interns, and cross-functional project teams; contribute outside narrowly defined responsibilities in a fast-moving startup environment.
Travel up to 30% for business purposes to support trials, commissioning, plant troubleshooting, vendor/customer meetings, conferences, and partner engagements.