Job Description:

Our client is seeking a Director of Process Engineering to translate our scientific innovations into scalable, safe, economically viable pilot and commercial facilities. Reporting to the CTO, this person will build and lead our internal process-engineering organization while serving as the technical authority for external engineering partners.

What You Will Do:

• Bridge science and engineering: Partner closely with the Chief Scientists to translate chemistry, flowsheets, particle/crystal requirements, and experimental results into scalable engineering designs.
• Lead scale-up: Develop the engineering path from laboratory through pilot, demonstration, FEL/FEED, and ultimately commercial operation.
• Own process engineering: Establish process design bases, mass and energy balances, PFDs/P&IDs, equipment requirements, process controls, safety, operability, and technical standards.
• Lead external engineering partners: Select, scope, direct, and technically challenge engineering consultants, EPC/EPCM firms, technology providers, and equipment vendors while retaining internal ownership of critical technical decisions.
• Build the team: Recruit and develop a high-caliber process-engineering organization and determine which capabilities should reside internally versus with external partners.
• Manage technical risk: Identify scale-up and process uncertainties, establish what must be demonstrated before advancing development, and drive decisions that balance technical risk, CAPEX, OPEX, schedule, and performance.
• Support execution: Provide process-engineering leadership through pilot construction, commissioning, startup, and commercial project development.

What We Are Looking For:

• 15+ years of experience in process engineering, process development, scale-up, or major capital projects.
• Demonstrated success taking novel or complex processes from development/pilot scale toward commercial implementation.
• Strong FEL/FEED and capital-project experience.
• Significant owner-side experience managing and technically directing third-party engineering organizations.
• Broad understanding of pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy and the interfaces between them.
• Experience with complex separations, precipitation, crystallization, particle processing, or related technologies.
• Proven ability to build and lead high-performing technical teams.
• Strong technical judgment, communication, and ability to operate effectively with both scientists and engineers.
• Engineering degree in chemical, metallurgical, materials, or a related discipline.

The Ideal Candidate:

• A technical authority, scale-up expert, owner's engineer, and organization builder who can move seamlessly between a whiteboard with a scientist, a design review with an EPC firm, a pilot plant, and an executive discussion with the CTO.
• This is not a role for someone who simply manages engineering contractors. We are looking for someone who can build the internal capability, retain technical ownership, and lead the company from scientific innovation to an operating commercial facility

Salary/Rate: $105-$130/HR (depends on experience level). This is a contract position with candidates expected to work 40 hours/ week.  

About Us

Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating a transparent, inclusive, and human-centered hiring experience.

For more than 28 years, PTP has operated as one of the top IT staffing and recruiting firms in the USA—built on trust, long-term partnerships, and technical excellence.

Based in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, IL, our team of more than 500 employees and consultants is dedicated to:

• Helping every client make the best hiring decisions possible
• Matching professionals with the right IT jobs and career opportunities

As part of that commitment, we believe in providing clear information about how our hiring technologies work and how your data is used. The following section outlines our AI-assisted interview process and your rights as a candidate.

AI-Assisted Interview Experience (Pete & Gabi – Rebecca):

To provide a consistent, fair, and flexible experience for all candidates, we use AI-assisted tools to support parts of the interview process. This includes our proprietary AI platform Pete & Gabi, which includes AI recruiter Rebecca.

These AI hiring tools help us:

• Conduct recorded video interviews
• Transcribe interviews
• Summarize candidate responses
• Generate job-related insights
• Streamline communication and scheduling

Please note that:

• The AI does NOT make hiring decisions; all decisions are made by our human recruiters, hiring managers, or client partners.
• The AI does not evaluate facial expressions, emotions, or physical traits; it is used only to support fairness, consistency, and efficiency.

If you prefer a non-AI interview format, we will gladly provide an alternative.