Mechanical Engineer

Key Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical engineering activities for pilot, demonstration, and early commercial lithium separation systems, with responsibility for one or more critical equipment packages.
• Translate process development and process design package (PDP/PDS) requirements into practical, reliable, and cost-effective equipment and plant designs.
• Develop and review process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), equipment layouts, utility requirements, hydraulic calculations, and equipment data sheets.
• Collaborate with process engineers, operations personnel, vendors, construction partners, and external engineering firms to support scale-up from demonstration to commercialization.
• Support optimization, modification, troubleshooting, and ramp-up of two demonstration plants.

Commercial Engineering Scope

• Own vendor engagement for major process equipment packages such as filtration, drying, evaporation, separation, micronizing, thickening, pumps, valves, tanks, heat exchangers, and water treatment systems.
• Prepare or support technical bid packages, review vendor proposals, compare technical options, and drive equipment selection based on performance, operability, maintainability, and total installed cost.
• Review and revise vendor mechanical designs, P&IDs, specifications, and expected performance to align with EnergyX process requirements and simplify the commercial plant design where possible.
• Work closely with external engineering firms on equipment integration, plot plans, plant layout, utilities, and interdisciplinary design coordination.
• Support design reviews, HAZOP/operability discussions, and field issue resolution during engineering, fabrication, installation, and commissioning.

Demonstration Plant Scope

• Support commissioning, startup, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement activities for two demonstration projects.
• Identify bottlenecks in equipment, key components, and flow systems; propose and implement modifications that improve capacity, reliability, and ease of operation.
• Collect and interpret operating data to recommend design improvements for the next scale of deployment.
• Partner with operators and technicians to improve equipment maintainability, spare parts planning, and standard operating practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• 3-5+ years of mechanical engineering experience in chemical processing, minerals processing, water treatment, or a similar industrial environment.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and checking PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specifications, general arrangement drawings, and vendor packages.
• Working knowledge of industrial equipment including piping systems, valves (manual, control, and relief), pumps, pressure vessels, filters, coalescers, columns, evaporators, tanks, heat exchangers, and reactors.
• Proficiency with CAD tools such as AutoCAD and/or SolidWorks.
• Knowledge of applicable design codes and standards such as ASME, DIN/EN, and related regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot equipment, communicate effectively with vendors, and work across process, operations, and project teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting pilot plants, demonstration plants, or first-of-a-kind process scale-up projects.
• Experience working directly with fabrication shops, OEMs, EPC/EPCM firms, or construction contractors.
• Spanish language proficiency.