Metallurgical Engineering Intern

Solcoa Industries

San Francisco (CA)

On-site

USD 48,216 - 61,992

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Insurance provided

Relocation assistance to Bay Area

Company-provided lunch daily

J1 Visa sponsorship available

Job summary

Solcoa Industries, an American rare earth metals producer headquartered in Alameda, California, is seeking a Metallurgical Engineering Intern to support reactor operations and alloy production. You will work with metallurgists, chemists, and technicians to move from lab scale to production, maintaining tight documentation and learning high-temperature processes.

The role emphasizes hands-on lab and foundry experience, attention to detail, and a willingness to work in a fast-paced,

Qualifications

Pursuing BS/MS in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
Exposure to pyrometallurgy, electrometallurgy, or high-temperature processing.
Hands-on experience from labs, foundry work, internships, or personal projects.
Detail‑oriented documentation and reliable follow-through.
On-site availability and ability to start soon.

Responsibilities

Assist with high-temperature and high-vacuum reactor operations.
Characterize feed materials and products using analytical techniques.
Run furnace cycles, collect process data, and summarize results for design iterations.
Maintain organized logs of process parameters, equipment conditions, and sample tracking.
Support equipment maintenance of vacuum systems and related hardware.
Contribute to safety-first culture and continuous improvement on the facility floor.

Skills

Detail-oriented

Hands-on experience

Fast-paced hardware-centric

Reliable follow-through

Education

Pursuing BS/MS in Metallurgical Engineering

Materials Science or related field

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Making the Metals Powering the World

Solcoa Industries is an American rare earth metals producer headquartered in Alameda, California.

We convert rare-earth oxides and magnet manufacturing scrap into high-purity metals and alloys that form the foundation of electrification, automation, and defense - the materials inside every fighter jet, EV, wind turbine, and phone.

For decades, the West has depended on China to produce these materials. Solcoa is rebuilding that supply chain at home: we are one of the very few producers outside China, and the only company developing new chemistries and a proprietary process to produce metals at lower cost than conventional routes - without harmful emissions.

The Role - Metallurgical Engineering Intern

Join our process team and help turn rare-earth magnet waste into high-purity metals. You’ll support our reactor operations, assist with alloy production, and keep our documentation tight - working with metallurgists, chemists, and technicians to move quickly from lab scale to production.

What You’ll Do

Assist with high-temperature and high-vacuum reactor operations.
Help characterize feed materials and products using ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, LECO O/N.
Run furnace cycles, collect process data, and summarize results to inform design iterations.
Maintain organized logs of process parameters, equipment conditions, and sample tracking.
Support equipment maintenance: vacuum systems, induction coils, thermocouples, and gas handling.
Contribute to a safety-first culture and continuous improvement on the facility floor.

What You Bring

Required

Pursuing a BS/MS in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
Exposure to pyrometallurgy, electrometallurgy, or high-temperature processing (coursework or labs).
Hands-on experience from labs, foundry work, internships, or personal projects (furnaces, casting, heat treatment).
Detail-oriented, disciplined documentation, and reliable follow-through.
Comfortable in a fast-paced, hardware-centric environment and willing to get your hands dirty.
On-site availability; able to start soon.

Preferred

Experience with vacuum or inert-atmosphere furnace operation.
Familiarity with rare-earth metallurgy, molten salt electrolysis, or reactive metal processing.
Basic thermodynamic analysis skills (Ellingham diagrams, phase diagrams, FactSage/HSC).
Welding or basic machining experience (mill/lathe).
Python/MATLAB for data analysis.

Compensation & Benefits