Company: North American technology-based company, affiliated with a prestigious U.S. university
Purpose of the Role
Lead the development, adaptation, and field validation of a globally unique and innovative lithium extraction process, ensuring its correct implementation in Chilean operations through a solid scientific foundation, numerical modeling, and data-based experimental validation.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead R&D; projects applied to lithium extraction processes under real operating conditions.
- Develop, adapt, and optimize process engineering models and numerical simulations.
- Design and execute pilot and industrial trials of the products and processes developed.
- Validate hypotheses through experimental and statistical evidence.
- Work in close collaboration with engineering, operations, and scientific teams in the U.S.
- Prepare high-level technical reports for the board and strategic partners.
- Transfer knowledge to local operations teams.
- Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and quality standards.
Role Requirements
Education
- PhD in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Metallurgy, Materials Science, or a related field.
Experience
- Minimum 3 years of post-PhD professional experience in non-metallic mining — ideally lithium, salts, or hydrometallurgical/chemical processes.
- Experience spanning product research and process scale-up; testing at laboratory, pilot, and industrial scale; and mathematical modeling and process simulation.
- Experience in innovation-driven environments is desirable.
Technical Knowledge
- Chemical process engineering.
- Statistical analysis and process control.
- Scientific methodology applied to industrial settings.
Languages
- Advanced English (mandatory): ongoing interaction with U.S.-based teams.
- Strong analytical thinking and capacity for abstraction.
- Strong orientation toward data-driven results.
- Technical autonomy and scientific leadership.
- Ability to work in high-uncertainty environments.
- Effective communication with technical and executive teams.
- Focus on innovation applied to industrial outcomes.
Role Conditions
- Direct participation in a project of general strategic impact in the lithium industry.
- Ongoing interaction with research centers in the United States.
- International growth potential.