Director of Mineral Processing

🕒 April 10

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KoBold Metals

WebsiteLinkedInAll Job Openings

51 - 200 employees

Founded 2019

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

🔬 Science

⚡ Energy

Artificial Intelligence • Science • Energy

KoBold Metals is a company specializing in advanced mineral exploration. By investing over $100 million annually across 60+ projects on five continents, KoBold is at the forefront of using artificial intelligence and novel hardware to transform mineral exploration into a repeatable science. The company aggregates comprehensive data on the Earth's crust and utilizes proprietary AI tools, including the Machine Prospector® system, to minimize uncertainties in exploration. KoBold Metals is committed to ethical exploration practices and is backed by world-class investors dedicated to discovering and developing new battery metal resources. Their innovative approach leverages AI to build the world's largest geoscience information collection and model subsurface data statistically.

📋 Description

• Own the process flowsheet design for Mingomba and future KoBold projects, from scoping through feasibility. • Work hands on and with your team to define and manage metallurgical testwork programs: comminution characterization, flotation optimization, hydrometallurgical evaluation, and pilot-scale campaigns. • Evaluate and recommend processing routes including froth flotation to concentrate, SX-EW, pressure oxidation, and smelter/refinery toll arrangements. Quantify the economic trade-offs of each. • Develop process design criteria, mass and water balances, and equipment specifications for feasibility-level engineering. • Lead the assessment of tailings characteristics, reprocessing potential, and environmental implications of process residues. • Build and maintain a geometallurgical framework that links ore variability (mineralogy, texture, grade distribution) to processing performance with first principles and statistical models. • Collaborate with geologists and data scientists to integrate geometallurgical statistics into resource models, mine schedules, and economic analyses. • Define sampling protocols for metallurgical characterization of drill core and ensure adequate coverage of ore variability. • Ensure mineral processing assumptions are reflected in techno-economic models including TC/RC structures, payable metal calculations, and concentrate penalty elements. • Build, lead, and mentor a mineral processing function within KoBold’s Advanced Technology Group. • Direct and manage relationships with metallurgical consultants, contract laboratories, and engineering firms. • Serve as one of KoBold’s internal experts and external representatives on mineral processing for investor presentations, partner discussions, and technical reviews. • Contribute to feasibility study management and preparation of technical reports (NI 43-101 / JORC-compliant as applicable). • Identify and evaluate emerging processing technologies relevant to KoBold’s target commodities (copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt) along with the existing team. • Work with mine engineers to optimize cut-off grade strategies and ore scheduling based on processing constraints. • Partner with KoBold’s data science team to apply machine learning and statistical methods to metallurgical datasets. • Coordinate with business development and commercial teams on offtake strategy, concentrate marketing, and smelter negotiations. • Support environmental and permitting workstreams with process-related inputs on water use, reagent consumption, emissions, and waste management.

🎯 Requirements

• 15+ years of experience with large scale (ton-kton / day) chemical processes • Quantitative, statistical, and scientific rigor, including execution of experimental designs to optimize multistage processing of complex feedstocks • Experience with design/build from lab test work through large scale production • Track record of managing consultants, laboratories, and multidisciplinary technical teams • Strong technical writing skills, including preparation of technical reports • Willingness to travel to project sites in Zambia and other KoBold locations (estimated 20–30%). • Experience in mineral processing, with significant time spent on copper sulfide projects from testwork through to operating plant design or commissioning. • Direct experience leading metallurgical testwork programs and translating results into process design criteria and flowsheet selection. • Deep understanding of comminution, flotation, hydrometallurgy, and concentrate handling for base metals. • Experience contributing to pre-feasibility and/or feasibility studies as the responsible mineral processing engineer. • Experience with sediment-hosted copper deposits (Zambian Copperbelt or Central African Copperbelt geology). • Familiarity with lithium processing (spodumene flotation, acid roast, DLE) and/or nickel laterite processing. • Experience with geometallurgical modeling and integration into block models. • Exposure to SX-EW operations and direct copper cathode production. • Comfort beyond spreadsheets in working with data science tools (Python, SQL) for scientific analysis

🏖️ Benefits

• equity and benefits including 401k matching