Chief Metallurgist — Gold Recovery & Process Optimization

Equinox Gold Corp.; Elko (NV); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Equinox Gold Corp. is seeking a Chief Metallurgist for the South Railroad Project in Nevada.

The role will lead metallurgical strategies across gold recovery processes, oversee laboratory operations, and drive continuous improvement to maximize throughput and recovery. The successful candidate will have a minimum of 10 years in extractive metallurgy and 5+ years in lab management, with experience in heap leach and cyanide-based recovery systems, and will lead a safety-focused, high-performance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in metallurgical or chemical engineering or a closely related field.
• Minimum 10 years of extractive metallurgy and mineral processing experience.
• 5+ years of assay and metallurgical laboratory management experience.
• Experience in heap leach operations, cyanide-based recovery systems, and mine-to-mill integration.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with senior management to develop and execute site-wide metallurgical strategies maximizing gold recovery.
• Lead metallurgical input into feasibility studies, detailed engineering, commissioning, and ramp-up to steady state operations.
• Provide expert guidance on process design, flowsheet optimization, and technology implementation.
• Serve as technical advisor on comminution, heap leach, gold recovery, and refinery performance.
• Monitor KPIs such as recovery, grade reconciliation, leach kinetics, and reagent consumption.
• Implement metallurgical accounting and reconciliation systems.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to maximize throughput, recovery, plant availability, and reagent efficiency.
• Conduct metallurgical balancing, performance modeling, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis.
• Validate and optimize crushing, stacking, leaching, adsorption, elution, electrowinning, and refining circuits.
• Ensure metallurgical deliverables are completed safely, on time, and within budget.
• Oversee assay and metallurgical laboratory operations for accuracy and data integrity.
• Implement QA/QC systems and best practices in the lab.
• Lead, mentor, and develop metallurgy staff to build a high-performance team.
• Support regulatory compliance, environmental performance, and sustainability initiatives.
• Collaborate with vendors and technology providers.

Skills

Metallurgical leadership

Process optimization

Feasibility studies

Laboratory management

Assay & QA/QC

Regulatory compliance

Team leadership

Data integrity

Cost control

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in metallurgical or chemical engineering

Job description

Equinox Gold Corp. is seeking a Chief Metallurgist for the South Railroad Project in Nevada.

The role will lead metallurgical strategies across gold recovery processes, oversee laboratory operations, and drive continuous improvement to maximize throughput and recovery. The successful candidate will have a minimum of 10 years in extractive metallurgy and 5+ years in lab management, with experience in heap leach and cyanide-based recovery systems, and will lead a safety-focused, high-performance