Chemical Engineer – Hydrometallurgy & Separation Processes
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Chemical Engineer to lead the development, optimization, and scale-up of hydrometallurgical and chemical separation processes. This role is centered on complex solid–liquid systems, including acid leaching, impurity removal, crystallization, and downstream solids handling, supporting the production of high-purity chemical and materials products.
What You’ll Do
As a Chemical Engineer, you will be responsible for the end-to-end design and improvement of integrated chemical processing flowsheets, with a strong emphasis on separation science and scale-up:
Process Design & Optimization
• Lead the design, development, and optimization of hydrometallurgical and chemical processing flowsheets, including acid leaching, solid–liquid separation,
solution purification, and crystallization.
• Define process operating windows to maximize recovery, purity, and/or throughput
while minimizing reagent consumption and waste generation.
Leaching & Reaction Engineering
• Develop and model leaching and dissolution processes for mineral or solid feedstocks, evaluating kinetics, mass transfer, and impurity behavior.
• Optimize reaction conditions to enhance target species extraction while controlling co-dissolution of unwanted elements.
Solid–Liquid Separation
• Design and optimize solid–liquid separation operations such as thickening, filtration, washing, and clarification.
• Troubleshoot issues related to particle size distribution, settling behavior, filtration
performance, and solids losses.
Purification & Separation
• Develop and refine impurity removal strategies using techniques such as
precipitation, solvent extraction, ion exchange, or selective crystallization.
• Achieve stringent purity specifications through robust and scalable separation
schemes.
Crystallization & Solids Processing
• Design and optimize crystallization systems, including control of supersaturation, temperature profiles, residence time, and crystal morphology.
• Support downstream solids processing steps such as drying, calcination, or thermal
treatment as required by the product.
Troubleshooting & Continuous Improvement
• Act as a technical authority for diagnosing and resolving complex plant issues, including fouling, corrosion, impurity buildup, yield loss, characterization, and
operability challenges.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across safety, reliability, and process performance.
Safety, Compliance & Documentation
• Ensure all process designs and operations comply with safety, health, and environmental regulations.
• Prepare technical reports, process documentation, economic evaluations, and support intellectual property development.
What We’re looking For
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in process engineering, including hands-on
experience in chemical, hydrometallurgical, or minerals processing operations (academic experience doesn’t count towards this).
• Strong expertise in acid leaching, solid–liquid separation, and purification technologies.
• Demonstrated experience with chemical crystallization processes and solids-forming systems.
• Familiarity with processing mineral, industrial, or inorganic solid feedstocks is highly desirable.
• Experience with high-purity or specialty chemical/materials production is an asset.
• Proficiency in process simulation and modeling tools (e.g., Aspen Plus, HSC Chemistry) and data analysis.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical projects, solve multidisciplinary problems, and support process scale-up.
• This role requires extensive R&D lab/pilot work for the first 6 months, physical ability to carry out long experiments/process runs, and full ownership to meet the deadlines.
*Please note that visa sponsorship or transfer is not available for this position.