Senior Metallurgist - Leaching & SX/EW

Careermine; Casa Grande (AZ); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Affordable medical, dental and vision

401(k) plan with employer contribution

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

Hudbay’s Cactus project aims to construct a new copper Crush/Leach operation. The Senior Metallurgist will lead metallurgical engineering and technical support for crushing, stacking, leaching, SX/EW, and related processing, coordinating EPCM consultants and testwork to ensure safe, efficient design and startup readiness.

Reporting to the Sr. Engineering Manager, you will oversee process design, modeling, and cost control across studies, design phases, commissioning, and handover, while ensuring

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mineral Processing, or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive metallurgical engineering experience in large-scale mining project execution, hydrometallurgical plant operations, or detailed process design.
• 3+ years of heap leach and SX/EW copper operations experience.
• Extensive copper hydrometallurgy expertise including crushing/stacking, heap leaching, SX/EW.
• Strong knowledge of metallurgical testing, process modeling, recovery curves, and mass balance.

Responsibilities

• Own technical oversight and process design support for ore crushing, stacking, heap leaching, SX, and EW operations.
• Lead metallurgical testwork programs, flowsheets, recovery modeling, and mass/energy balance evaluations.
• Coordinate EPCM consultants, metallurgical labs, and third-party contractors.
• Establish process controls, benchmarks, and QA protocols to meet LME Grade A copper cathode standards.
• Ensure adherence to Hudbay engineering standards, safety requirements, and regulatory compliance.
• Provide leadership during commissioning, startup, and handover to operations.
• Manage budgets, lab costs, and cost forecasting for metallurgical scopes.
• Support vendor evaluations and equipment selections for crushers, stacking, SX/EW components, and reagents.
• Drive continuous improvement and sustainability initiatives in hydrometallurgical processes.
• Develop SOPs, maintenance handovers, and training materials for metallurgical staff.

Skills

Metallurgical engineering exp

Heap leach & SX/EW ops

Process modeling

SiD safety knowledge

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical/Chemical/Mineral Processing

Master’s degree in Metallurgical or Chemical Eng

Job description

About Hudbay:

Hudbay (TSX, NYSE: HBM) is a copper-focused mining company with three long-life operations and a world-class pipeline of copper growth projects in tier-one mining-friendly jurisdictions of Canada, Peru, and the United States.

Hudbay's operating portfolio includes the Constancia mine in Cusco (Peru), the Snow Lake operations in Manitoba (Canada) and the Copper Mountain mine in British Columbia (Canada). Copper is the primary metal produced by the Company, which is complemented by meaningful gold production and by-product zinc, silver and molybdenum. Hudbay's growth pipeline includes the Copper World project in Arizona (United States), the Cactus project in Arizona (United States), the Mason project in Nevada (United States), the Llaguen project in La Libertad (Peru) and several expansion and exploration opportunities near its existing operations.

The value Hudbay creates and the impact it has is embodied in its purpose statement: “We care about our people, our communities, and our planet. Hudbay provides the metals the world needs. We work sustainably, transform lives, and create better futures for communities.” Hudbay’s mission is to create sustainable value and strong returns by leveraging its core strengths in community relations, focused exploration, mine development and efficient operations.

Mission:

To create sustainable value and strong returns by leveraging our core strengths in community relations, focused exploration, mine development and efficient operations.

Purpose of Role:

The Hudbay Cactus project is proposing to construct a new copper Crush / Leach operation. This position is intended to own the technical support from ore crushing, stacking, leaching and the SX/EW process to produce LME Grade A copper cathode. The Senior Metallurgist is responsible for leading, supervising, and directing the metallurgical engineering and operational technical support for the Cactus Mine Project, with oversight of key EPCM consultants, metallurgical testwork, and processing design. Reporting to the Sr. Engineering Manager, this position ensures full technical integrity, process optimization, safety in design, schedule adherence, scope control, and budget management across basic and detailed engineering design, trade-off studies, pre-feasibility/feasibility studies (PFS/FS), commissioning, and operational handover. All work will be done with the mindset and values of Hudbay Minerals: We care about our people, our communities and our planet. We value dignity and respect, caring, openness and trustworthiness.

ROLE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Own technical oversight and process design support for ore crushing, stacking, heap leaching, solvent extraction (SX), and electrowinning (EW) operations.
• Lead metallurgical testwork programs, process flowsheets development, recovery modeling, and mass/energy balance evaluations for the Crush Leach operation.
• Direct and coordinate key EPCM consultants, specialized metallurgical testing laboratories, and third-party engineering contractors executing processing scopes.
• Establish process controls, operational benchmarks, and quality assurance protocols to consistently achieve LME Grade A copper cathode standards.
• Ensure Hudbay's engineering specifications, technical standards, safety requirements, and statutory regulations are fully incorporated into design packages.
• Oversee technical query resolutions, trade-off studies, value engineering, process optimization, and risk identification across hydrometallurgical disciplines.
• Provide technical leadership during operational readiness planning, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and startup transitions to site operations.
• Maintain budget oversight, laboratory testwork cost controls, and operating/capital cost forecasting for metallurgical scopes.
• Participate in project tollgate reviews, PFS/FS reviews, and Project Management Plan (PMP) refresh cycles.
• Support vendor evaluations, technical bid evaluations (TBA), and equipment selections for crushers, stacking systems, SX/EW plant components, and reagents.
• Drive continuous improvement, technology integration (e.g., process automation, online analyzers, leaching enhancement), and sustainability practices.
• Assist in developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintenance handovers, and training materials for metallurgical staff.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION:

• Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mineral Processing, or related field.
• Minimum 7+ years of progressive metallurgical engineering experience in large-scale mining project execution, hydrometallurgical plant operations, or detailed process design.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience in heap leach and SX/EW copper operations.
• Extensive technical expertise in copper hydrometallurgy, crushing/stacking, heap leaching, solvent extraction, and electrowinning (SX/EW).
• Deep understanding of metallurgical testing methodologies, process modeling tools, recovery curves, and mass balance calculations.
• Strong proficiency in project management systems, process troubleshooting, scope control, and technical reporting.
• Knowledge of Safety in Design (SiD) principles, HAZOP, MSHA/OSHA safety regulations, and environmental permitting compliance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master's degree in Metallurgical Engineering or Chemical Engineering.
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license or equivalent professional registration.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as needed to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Other Requirements:

Physical

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and smell. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities may be required for this position.

Work Environment

The work environment will necessitate work near moving mechanical parts and outside weather conditions such as hot and/or dry conditions. Work will be conducted in locations where noise, fumes, dust, toxic or caustic chemicals, and vibration may exist.

Employee must be able to prove that he/she has a current and valid driver's license.

Why Hudbay?

• At Hudbay, our values of Dignity & Respect, Caring, Openness, and Trustworthiness are embedded into our culture by the way we work and how we interact with one another.
• We pride ourselves in providing our employees with competitive total rewards that include:
  • Affordable medical, dental and vision benefits for you and your family
  • 401(k) plan with employer contribution
  • Paid time off, paid sick time and holiday pay
• Regular performance appraisals to acknowledge our employees for their contributions, strengths and work well done.

Hudbay is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Following a conditional offer of employment, candidates will be required to successfully complete a criminal background check. Depending on the specific requirements of the role, candidates may also need to undergo a physical examination, drug screening, and educational verification.