Metallurgist

Origin Mining Company; Golden Valley (AZ); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Restaurant discounts

Job summary

Origin Mining Company in Golden Valley, AZ, seeks a Metallurgist to oversee safe, efficient processing operations, ensure environmental compliance, and meet production targets. You'll optimize heap leach performance, coordinate with mining teams, and manage costs and inventory.

The role requires a Bachelor’s in Metallurgical or Chemical Engineering and at least 2 years experience in copper heap leaching, with strong communication and the ability to work with minimal supervision.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in metallurgical or chemical engineering or equivalent preferred.
• Minimum 2+ years of operating experience in copper heap leaching including supervision.
• Strong knowledge of copper extraction unit operations: heap leach, SX-EW, milling/flotation.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal); ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Strong work ethic and professional demeanor.

Responsibilities

• Safety, Environmental, and Community: ensure safety training and follow procedures; coordinate with EMG safety.
• Work with permitting and HSEC; support community engagement.
• Production: meet targets; interface with mining and geology; forecast and reconcile metal production.
• Production: create stacking plans and irrigation cycles for heap leach pad per permits and best practices.
• Optimization and Cost Management: optimize processing to meet recoveries; liaise with labs for analyses.
• Cost management: manage operating costs and identify opportunities to reduce $/lb.
• Metal Budget and Inventory: maximize productivity while monitoring consumables and inventory.
• Reporting: provide weekly, monthly, and annual production updates.

Skills

Copper heap leaching experience

Supervising and training

Extraction unit operations knowledge

Organizational and time management

Communication skills

Self-management / minimal supervision

Work ethic and professional demeanor

Learning and systems management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical or Chemical Engineering or equivalent

Job description

Summary

Origin Mining Company operates the Mineral Park copper-molybdenum mine in Arizona and is focused on responsible, sustainable resource development. We aim to lead the U.S. copper industry through strong safety practices, environmental stewardship, and operational excellence. Our team is committed to doing things the right way—acting with integrity, supporting our communities, and creating long-term value. With a hands-on, technically driven approach, we are advancing both leach and concentrator operations to produce high-quality copper and molybdenum products.

Summary

Origin Mining Company operates the Mineral Park copper-molybdenum mine in Arizona and is focused on responsible, sustainable resource development. We aim to lead the U.S. copper industry through strong safety practices, environmental stewardship, and operational excellence. Our team is committed to doing things the right way—acting with integrity, supporting our communities, and creating long-term value. With a hands-on, technically driven approach, we are advancing both leach and concentrator operations to produce high-quality copper and molybdenum products.

Position Overview

The Metallurgist oversees safe, efficient, and environmentally compliant processing operations while ensuring production targets are met. The role involves optimizing heap leach performance, coordinating with mining teams, and managing costs, inventory, and metallurgical accounting.

Job Responsibilities

• Safety, Environmental, and Community
  • Ensure operating personnel complies with safety training requirements and follows procedures according to local safety standards. Coordinate and communicating operations requirements with EMG safety department
  • Work closely with permitting and HSEC departments .
  • Support community engagement
• Production
  • Communicate and provide direction to ensure production targets are met. Interface with mining and geology to understand characteristics of ore fed to the process. Review day-to-day operating practices. Forecast and reconcile metal production.
  • Produce stacking plans and irrigation cycle strategies for ore being placed on the heap leach pad in accordance with permitting restrictions and operational best practices for copper heap leaching.
• Optimization and Cost Management
  • Optimize and troubleshoot processing operations to meet metal recoveries and process efficiency targets. Interface with external consultants and laboratories on projects to improve operations and assaying/sampling practices as required
  • Manage process operating costs and identify opportunities to reduce $/lb production costs.
• Metal Budget and Inventory
  • Maximize metallurgical productivity while maintaining budget operating costs. Monitor operating consumables and maintenance spent to meet budgetary targets. Document reagents and material usage. Communicate with accounting for orders and inventory as required
• Reporting
  • Provide production updates on weekly, monthly, and annual reports. Provide information on processing parameters and short and long term expected production trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Metallurgical or Chemical Engineering or equivalent preferred.
• 2+ years of practical operating experience, with specific copper heap leaching experience, including supervising and training
• Good knowledge of copper extraction unit operations, including heap leach, SX-EW and milling/flotation.
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to learn, manage and maintain all necessary systems
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Strong work ethic and professional demeanor

Physical Demands

To be eligible for this position, an individual must possess the following requirements to perform the essential job functions:

• Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking on uneven surfaces, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, and repetitive motion.
• Ability to work both indoors and outdoors in all kinds of weather
• Able to operate a telephone and mine phone/radio with sufficient voice and hearing to carry on a conversation for the purpose of communicating information
• Able to hear sufficiently to distinguish various pitches of warning alarms
• Able to lift up to 25 pounds periodically