4.4. Senior Chemical Engineer
Burlington, MA
Phoenix Tailings – 4. Chemical & Development Engineering /
Full Time /
On-site
About Phoenix Tailings
Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly-growing clean mining and metals production startup dedicated to sustainable and economic critical metals production. Our mission is to be the world's first fully clean mining and metals production company, producing the resources needed for the next generation of our economy.
Why Phoenix Tailings
At Phoenix Tailings, we believe that nothing great is ever accomplished alone or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. If you are someone who shares our relentless pursuit of a better future, passion for innovation, and are excited about working with some of the top innovators in the world, then this is the place for you.
Our Values:
● You are only crazy if you are wrong, it’s ok to be wrong
● Lead with Compassion
● Be Resourceful
● Listen
● Hustle
Who We Are Looking For:
Phoenix Tailings is seeking a Senior Chemical Engineer to take a leading role in scaling our cutting-edge critical metals recovery processes from lab bench to pilot plant and beyond. You will own the application of mass and energy balances, help design process flows, and ensure the seamless transition of chemistry into scalable, efficient systems. Your work will directly accelerate our ability to produce essential materials cleanly, safely, and economically—pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in sustainable chemical engineering.
Key Responsibilities
- Translate lab-scale chemical processes into scalable unit operations
- Design and develop process flowsheets for pilot systems across hydrometallurgical and metallurgical operations.
- Lead scale-up efforts for new processes, including equipment specification, system integration, and risk analysis.
- Analyze and optimize process performance to improve recovery rates, efficiency, and sustainability metrics.
- Work closely with R&D, mechanical engineering, and production teams to ensure seamless handoff from lab to pilot and pilot to production.
- Identify bottlenecks and troubleshoot technical challenges in early-stage systems.
- Support data collection and process modeling to guide decision-making and future system design.
- Drive continuous improvement in process safety, environmental impact, and overall performance.
Qualifications:
- BS, M.S., or Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or related discipline.
- 5+ years of experience in chemical process development and scale-up.
- Proven experience applying mass and energy balances to develop and optimize process flows.
- Background in hydrometallurgy, separations, chemical recovery, or related high-complexity systems.
- Familiarity with chemical simulation/modeling tools (e.g., HSC Chemistry, Aspen Plus, MATLAB).
- Strong experimental design and data analysis skills.
- Track record of delivering chemical processes from lab concept to pilot or production scale.
- Passion for clean technology, resource sustainability, and building systems from the ground up.
We offer a competitive compensation package that is based on expertise. We also offer the following benefits:
- Healthcare, we care about you and your family: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Stock: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
- Family Focus: Parental leave and flexibility for families.
- Time Off: Flexible vacation policy to encourage people to get out and see the world.
- Team Fun: Regularly scheduled events, and celebrations.
- Learning: Learning and development Opportunities to grow your skills and career.
- Great team: Working with fun, hard-working, kind people committed to making a difference!
- Flexible culture: We are results-focused. We don’t work at the office every day.
At Phoenix Tailings, we have an open culture that values learning, and we are looking to grow the team with enthusiastic individuals who share our vision of sustainable mining.
Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at all levels. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information, or any other applicable protected characteristics, and these characteristics will not be a factor for consideration of any work-related decisions (including but not limited to hiring, firing, compensation, and discipline).
