Senior Process Engineer- Refractory

ElementUSA is seeking a hands-on Senior Process Engineer with strong refractory, ceramic, alumina, high-temperature materials, or related inorganic process-manufacturing experience. This role will support development of processes that convert industrial waste and secondary raw materials into high-value refractory and ceramic products for steel, refractory, and related industrial markets.

The engineer will work directly with our scientists and PhD process team to develop and mature the process flowsheet, understand laboratory and pilot results, identify the testing required for scale-up, and translate process-development data into practical engineering requirements. The initial focus will include our salt dross program and associated chemical, filtration, thermal-processing, and product-finishing steps.

This is not a traditional project-management role and is not primarily a refractory-lining selection role. We are looking for a technical doer and subject matter expert who understands how refractory and ceramic materials are produced and who can help move a developing process from laboratory work through pilot operation, engineering execution, commissioning, and commercial scale-up.

• Partner directly with scientists and PhD process engineers to understand process chemistry, raw-material behavior, experimental results, product objectives, and technical gaps.
• Support development and maturation of integrated process flow sheets for converting waste or secondary feed stocks into commercially valuable refractory and ceramic materials.
• Work hands-on in laboratory and pilot environments to support test planning, campaigns, troubleshooting, data interpretation, and definition of the next experiments required to advance the process.
• Apply practical knowledge of chemical leaching, washing, filtration and solid-liquid separation, drying, calcination, kiln operation, sintering/firing, crushing, milling, screening/classification, blending, and solids handling as applicable to the process.
• Help establish mass balances, operating envelopes, process design criteria, equipment duties, residence times, temperature requirements, reagent requirements, material-handling requirements, and other scale-up inputs.
• Understand how process conditions, impurities, thermal history, mineralogy/phase development, and particle-size distribution influence final refractory or ceramic product quality and performance.
• Work backward from target product specifications and customer requirements to identify the process conditions and controls needed to consistently manufacture an acceptable product.
• Identify scale-up risks and define pilot testing, sampling, analytical work, or engineering studies needed to close technical gaps before commercial design.
• Translate laboratory and pilot data into process-engineering deliverables and packages suitable for external engineering partners.
• Develop and/or review process descriptions, design basis documents, process flow diagrams, mass balances, equipment lists, equipment specifications, technical datasheets, and P&IDs as projects mature.
• Support equipment sizing, selection, and technical evaluation for kilns, calciners, filtration systems, dryers, leach systems, tanks, pumps, solids-handling equipment, crushers, mills, screens, and other relevant unit operations.
• Work closely with OEMs, vendors, EPC/EPCM firms, and engineering partners; review and challenge technical deliverables to ensure designs reflect the actual process, product requirements, operability, and scale-up needs.
• Support equipment installation, commissioning, startup, process troubleshooting, and transition from development into repeatable pilot and commercial operation.
• Collaborate with project managers, technical program managers, Operations, Maintenance, Laboratory, and Quality personnel to ensure technical development is converted into executable engineering work.
• Capture operating lessons and process knowledge so that pilot learning is incorporated into future commercial facility design.

• Salt dross and related industrial-waste processing routes.
• Development of value-added alumina, refractory,…