Sulfuric Acid Control Room Operator

Lithium Americas•Winnemucca, NV

4d•Onsite

About The Position

Lithium Americas is seeking a Sulfuric Acid Plant Control Room Operator to join their Sulfuric Acid Process Plant team. This role is responsible for the continuous operation, monitoring, and optimization of the Sulfuric Acid Plant and Power Generating Unit 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 Sulfuric Acid Shift Supervisor.

Requirements

High School Diploma
3+ years as a control room operator and/or in Process Plant Operations, Chemical and/or Power Generation Units.
Proficiency in DCS operations (Honeywell, Yokogawa, Emerson, or equivalent).
Strong understanding of chemical process and power generation principles.
High attention to detail with the ability to diagnose process upsets under pressure.
Ability to read and comprehend plant 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 Sulfuric Acid Plant operation, Turbo Generator operation, sulfur receiving and storage, acid storage, treated water and air systems.
Ability to configure and utilize the historian data base to trend key equipment and process flows for maximum plant productivity.
Monitor critical process parameters such as gas and acid temperatures and concentrations, SO2 emissions, cooling water systems and environmental control systems.
Direct field operators in performing adjustments, inspections, and troubleshooting tasks.
Adjust setpoints for flow, temperature, pressure and maintain process stability and meet product specifications.
Respond to alarms and process deviations, implementing corrective actions to prevent off-spec production.
Interpret real-time trends in plant operations and environmental controls.
Generate reports on plant and generator operation and downtime events.
Communicate effectively with 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 environmental discharge/emissions limits and support effluent neutralization and waste handling protocols.
Follow strict safety protocols for handling sulfur, acid, chemicals, reagents and high-temperature equipment.
Support maintenance teams with isolation, lockout-tagout-tryout (LOTOTO), and process readiness for planned interventions.
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.
Contribute to hazard identification, risk assessments, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Provide real-time feedback on changes in plant performance following optimization initiatives
Contribute to continuous improvement by reporting process inefficiencies or recurring issues.