Mariana Minerals ยท 1 month ago
Hydrometallurgical Process Engineer
Houston, TX
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$100K/yr - $175K/yrMariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company focused on supplying critical minerals for modern energy and technology. The Hydrometallurgical Process Engineer will lead the development of innovative chemical refining processes and collaborate with various teams to optimize the mineral supply chain.
Mining & Metals
Responsibilities
Lead hydrometallurgical process equipment scopes from concept development and modeling validation through procurement, detailed engineering, fabrication, installation, commissioning, and ramp-up
Manage external technology licensors, equipment vendors, and engineering partners to deliver fully integrated and performant hydrometallurgical refining systems
Develop detailed heat and material balances for complex hydrometallurgical process trains, including leaching, solution purification, solvent extraction/ion exchange, precipitation, crystallization, and residue handling
Build hydraulic models and process flow diagrams/P&IDs for hydrometallurgical circuits, ensuring operability, reliability, and safety
Create first-principles models of chemical reactors and unit operations (e.g., leach reactors, autoclaves, SX settlers, IX columns, precipitation reactors, filtration systems) to validate scale-up and derisk commercial designs
Identify, evaluate, and implement engineering solutions to optimize extraction, purification, and recovery processes under varying chemistry, feedstock qualities, and operating conditions
Collaborate deeply with R&D, lab staff, pilot-plant engineers, and operations teams to translate bench-scale insights into robust and scalable hydrometallurgical flowsheets
Work closely with software and machine-learning teams to automate process-engineering workflows and develop advanced control, optimization, and digital-twin models for hydrometallurgical reactors and plants
Qualification
Required
Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals and demonstrated ability to leverage the understanding to solve challenging problems
Strong foundation in chemical engineering, metallurgical engineering, or process engineering, with demonstrated ability to apply engineering fundamentals to complex hydrometallurgical systems
Experience with equipment engineering and design. Including but not limited to:
Brownfield modifications and upgrades of process equipment (e.g., leach tanks, reactors, filtration systems, solvent extraction circuits)
Greenfield design of hydrometallurgical unit operations and integrated circuits
Troubleshooting, evaluation, and optimization of operating hydrometallurgical or chemical-process equipment
Experience with the following industries and/or production environments:
Hydrometallurgical mineral processing or metal refining
Large-scale mining, critical-minerals processing, or battery-materials production
Industrial chemical manufacturing with complex aqueous/chemical reaction systems
Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC/EPCM) firms supporting mining and mineral processing industry projects
Company
Mariana Minerals
Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company focused on supplying the minerals critical to modern energy, AI, and defense technologies.
11-50 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Mariana Minerals has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (7)
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageCompany data provided by crunchbase