Process Engineer

Mariana Minerals; Joaquin (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company driving modern energy, AI, and defense needs. We seek a Senior Process Engineer to bridge R&D and operations, advancing chemical process development and scale-up for new products.

You will lead lab-to-production development, model processes, and mentor junior staff while ensuring safety and quality. Hydrometallurgy, mining, and battery-material experience are a plus, aligning with our future-ready mineral solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or related discipline required.
• 3–5 years of experience in chemical process and/or development engineering.
• Hands-on experience scaling processes from R&D to operating environments.
• Expertise in process modeling, development, control, and scale-up.
• Coordinate bench-top, pilot, manufacturing scale-up, and verification batches.
• Proficient in software for process analysis and modeling.
• Strong understanding of chemical processes and their scale-up.
• Leadership and interpersonal skills for cross-functional improvements.
• Analytical and quantitative problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and scale-up of lab processes on pilot and production scales.
• Identify process risks and propose mitigation solutions.
• Evaluate process capability and improve control; deliver samples to customers.
• Conduct detailed process simulations and modeling for various scenarios.
• Develop production and process guidelines including SOPs, safety, and quality standards.
• Improve and troubleshoot products, equipment, and process issues during production.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior staff.
• Guide R&D and external partners in experimental design for data for chemical process design.
• Drive chemical process design from concept to scaled production with quality
• Develop and model potential process designs for scale-up and cost estimation.

Skills

Process modeling

Scale-up

Chemical process development

Leadership

Analytical skills

R&D collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering

Tools

Process modeling software

Job description

About Mariana Minerals

Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company on a mission to supply the critical minerals powering modern energy, AI, and defense technologies. We’re reimagining the minerals supply chain by combining deep industry expertise with advanced software, automation, and data-driven decision-making.

Position Summary:

We are looking for a Senior Process Engineer to work with our innovative, fast-paced multidisciplinary team. They will be responsible for liaising between R&D and operations, with a focus on chemical process development, successful scale-up of new product execution, and sustaining technology-manufacturing readiness. This person must be flexible, proactive, and professional with experience in scale-up and process development applications such as chemical refining, hydrometallurgy, minerals, and chemical processing.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and scale-up of lab processes on pilot and production scales, with a focus on improving metal recovery and reducing cost and environmental impact.

• Identify potential process risks, and propose, and evaluate solutions to mitigate the risks.

• Evaluate process capability, improve process control, and deliver samples to customers.

• Conduct detailed process simulations and modeling to predict process behaviors under various scenarios.

• Develop, prepare, and provide detailed production and process guidelines, including: standard operating procedures (SOPs), process flow details, safety, and quality standards.

• Improve and troubleshoot products, equipment, and process issues during production.

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior scientists, engineers, and technical staff.

• Guide the R&D team and any external partners in the design and execution of experiments to develop the required base data for chemical process design.

• Drive chemical process design and development from the concept stages to scaled production, ensuring quality is maintained throughout the lifecycle of the project.

• Develop and model potential process designs for scale-up and cost estimating based on lab-scale chemical processes.

• Identify potential process risks, and propose, and evaluate solutions to mitigate the risks.

• Evaluate process capability and improve process control.

Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or a related discipline is required.

• 3-5 years of experience in Chemical Process and/or Development Engineering required.

• Hands-on experience scaling processes from R&D to an operating environment.

• Expertise in process modeling, development, control, and scale-up.

• Coordinate and execute bench-top, pilot, manufacturing scale-up, and verification batches with speed and robustness.

• Proficient in using software for process analysis and modeling.

• Sound understanding of chemical processes and their scale-up.

• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills for implementation of cross-functional process improvements.

• Strong background in analytical & quantitative skills for problem-solving of large/complex problems & proven ability in decision-making

Desired Qualifications:

• Hydrometallurgy experience

• Mining experience

• Battery material experience

Our culture is built on four principles:

Everyone Gets Home Safe. We never put speed or cost ahead of people.

Extreme Ownership. We take full responsibility for outcomes, relentlessly driving toward solutions.

Engineer Out Requirements, then Automate. We simplify, optimize, and then automate for scale.

Share Your Legos. We collaborate openly, share knowledge, and empower each other to build bigger, better solutions.

Join us as we build the future of responsible mineral sourcing and supply!