Process Chemist

Plutonic Search Group; Las Vegas (NV); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Plutonic Search Group is assisting an emerging technology company focused on copper recovery from complex ores. The role will involve designing experiments, analyzing results, and collaborating with engineers and leadership to move from lab development toward commercial deployment.

You'll use techniques such as ICP, XRD, XRF, and SEM to answer chemistry questions, identify root causes, and translate data into practical recommendations for process development and scale-up.

Qualifications

• Background in inorganic or analytical chemistry, or related field.
• Strong experimental design and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to think critically about data and draw insights.
• Curiosity and motivation to solve difficult technical problems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design laboratory programs to answer key technical questions.
• Analyze chemical test results to identify trends and opportunities.
• Support process development, optimization, and scale-up activities.
• Collaborate with analytical labs and use ICP, XRD, XRF, SEM.
• Investigate root causes of process challenges.
• Evaluate new reagents and concepts to improve performance.
• Translate complex results into actionable recommendations.

Skills

Inorganic Chemistry

Analytical Chemistry

Chemical Engineering

Metallurgy

Experimental Design

Data Analysis

Critical Thinking

Technical Communication

Collaborative Skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

ICP

XRD

XRF

SEM

OLI

HSC

Job description

Our client is an emerging technology company trying to change how copper gets recovered.

Their technology has the potential to unlock copper from complex sulfide ores while reducing the energy intensity associated with traditional extraction methods. The science is promising. The test work is growing. The technical questions are becoming more interesting.

That's where you come in. They're looking for a chemist who loves figuring things out. Someone who gets excited about data, experiments, unexpected results, and finding answers that aren't obvious. You don't need 20 years of copper experience. You don't need to have seen every leaching circuit on the planet. You DO need to be curious, analytical, and motivated by solving difficult technical problems.

The Role:

You'll be the person helping answer the chemistry questions that determine whether technologies work, why they work, and how they can be improved. Some days you'll be designing experiments. Other days you'll be analyzing results, debating hypotheses with engineers, reviewing analytical data, or helping determine what test should happen next. You'll work closely with process engineers, metallurgists, and technical leadership as the company moves from laboratory development toward commercial deployment.

What You'll Do:

• Design laboratory programs that answer important technical questions.
• Analyze chemical test results and identify trends, relationships, and opportunities.
• Support process development, optimization, and scale-up activities.
• Work with analytical laboratories and advanced characterization techniques such as ICP, XRD, XRF, and SEM.
• Investigate process challenges and help identify root causes.
• Evaluate new reagents, process concepts, and ideas that may improve performance.
• Turn complex technical results into practical recommendations.

What You'll Bring:

• A background in inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, chemical engineering, metallurgy, or a related discipline.
• Strong experimental design and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to think critically about data rather than simply reporting it.
• Curiosity and a genuine desire to understand how and why things work.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• An appetite for working in an environment where new questions appear every week.
• Experience with hydrometallurgy, mineral processing, aqueous chemistry, thermodynamics, OLI, HSC, or metals extraction is valuable, but we're far more interested in how you think than whether you've followed a perfectly linear career path.

Who This Won't Be a Fit With:

• Someone looking for a highly structured corporate laboratory environment.
• Someone who only enjoys routine testing and established procedures.
• Someone who wants to stay narrowly focused on a single experiment or project.
• Someone uncomfortable working through ambiguity and incomplete information.
• Someone who dislikes collaborating across disciplines.

What Success Looks Like:

• Technical decisions are based on sound chemistry and strong data.
• Experiments consistently generate useful answers and actionable recommendations.
• Process development programs move faster because the right questions are being asked.
• Our client develops a deeper understanding of how its technology performs across different ore types and operating conditions.

What's In It For You:

• Help develop a genuinely disruptive copper-processing technology.
• Work on challenging scientific problems with real commercial impact.
• Gain exposure to laboratory, pilot, and commercial-scale development.
• Have direct influence on the evolution of the technology.
• Join an early-stage company where technical contributions genuinely matter.