Physical Metallurgist

Responsibilities

• Design and conduct laboratory and pilot-scale metallization experiments
• Continuous, data driven, process improvements, and translation of pilot-scale improvements to full production, prioritizing documentation and management of change.
• Optimize salt chemistry, process conditions, and reactor geometry.
• Prepare and characterize materials using optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, XRD, and related techniques
• Develop experimental plans to validate thermodynamic predictions
• Maintain detailed experimental records and analyze results statistically and physically
• Design experimental programs to establish reactor kinetics, optimize residence time, and maximize throughput.
• Present results regularly to peers and leadership.
• Author and maintain formal process documentation suitable for training and execution by operations teams.
• Partner with R&D, operations, quality, and EHS teams to ensure chemical processes are:
• Safe
• Scalable
• Cost-effective
• Environmentally compliant
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and technicians.
• Use FactSage, ThermoCalc, or other CALPHAD tools to calculate phase equilibria, thermochemical properties, and reaction pathways.
• Model multi-component alloy and oxide/slag/salt systems to guide experimental design

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or higher in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry or a related field
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in metallurgical or electrochemical process development or production
• Proven experience creating clear, auditable, and operator-ready process documentation.
• Experience supporting pilot plant or early commercial operations.
• Ability to independently design and execute experiments.
• Strong technical writing and communication skills.
• Strong working knowledge of:
• Phase equilibria
• Design of Experiments
• Analytical techniques (SEM, XRF, ICP, etc.)

Qualifications - Preferred

• Experience in startup or scale-up environments
• Knowledge of quality systems (ISO, internal technical governance)
• Ability to operate as a technical authority without excessive oversight
• Knowledge of CALPHAD tools (FactSage, Thermo-Calc, or similar)
• Experience with high temperature molten salts

Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.