Lead Metallurgist – Concentrate Leaching & Pilot Plant

Hudbay Minerals U.S. Business Unit; Casa Grande (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonuses

Healthcare benefits

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Hudbay Minerals U.S. Business Unit in the United States is seeking a Sr. Metallurgist - Concentrate Leaching to develop and implement the process for receiving trucked copper concentrate at the Cactus operations and producing LME Grade A copper cathode through leachings.

You will lead metallurgical studies, pilot programs, and full-scale deployment with a focus on safety and environmental compliance. The role requires extensive hydrometallurgy expertise, prior pilot plant and commissioning

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Extractive Metallurgy, or a related engineering discipline.
• 7+ years of metallurgical engineering experience in hydrometallurgy, base metal processing, or copper concentrate treatment.
• Experience leading metallurgical testwork, engineering studies, pilot plant operations, and commercial facility commissioning/startup.
• Comprehensive knowledge of hydrometallurgical processing, concentrate leaching, solvent extraction (SX), electrowinning (EW), and solution purification.
• Strong expertise in pilot plant design, scale-up methodologies, process modeling, and metallurgical accounting.
• Applied knowledge of MSHA, OSHA, and state/federal environmental regulations relevant to metallurgical processing facilities.
• Technical proficiency in process optimization, root cause analysis, hazard identification, and chemical handling safety.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering studies, process development, and metallurgical testing for receiving, handling, and leaching trucked copper concentrate.
• Design, manage, and execute pilot plant testing programs to evaluate concentrate leaching technologies, flowsheet options, and process economics.
• Oversee full-scale engineering, construction, commissioning, and operational ramp-up of the concentrate leaching and refining facility to generate LME Grade A Copper Cathode.
• Optimize unit operations including concentrate receiving/slurry preparation, leaching, solid-liquid separation, solvent extraction (SX), and electrowinning (EW).
• Establish process control parameters, mass and energy balances, process flow diagrams (PFDs), and operational specifications in coordination with engineering consultants and vendors.
• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality control protocols, and metallurgical accounting frameworks.
• Monitor, analyze, and report key performance indicators (KPIs), metallurgical recoveries, reagent consumption, and operational efficiencies.
• Collaborate with safety, environmental, and regulatory teams to ensure compliance with chemical handling, emissions, and waste management standards.
• Support operational readiness, contractor management, and site risk assessments during project development and construction phases.

Skills

Hydrometallurgy

Pilot plant operations

Metallurgical testwork

Process optimization

Hazard identification

Education

Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering or related

Master's degree in Metallurgical Engineering

Professional Engineer (P.E.) license

Tools

Process modeling

Metallurgical accounting

Job description

Hudbay Minerals U.S. Business Unit in the United States is seeking a Sr. Metallurgist - Concentrate Leaching to develop and implement the process for receiving trucked copper concentrate at the Cactus operations and producing LME Grade A copper cathode through leachings.

You will lead metallurgical studies, pilot programs, and full-scale deployment with a focus on safety and environmental compliance. The role requires extensive hydrometallurgy expertise, prior pilot plant and commissioning