Principal Process Engineer

With offices in Australia, Africa, Canada, Peru and the Philippines, Lycopodium proudly delivers high quality professional engineering and project delivery services globally, across the resources, infrastructure and industrial processes sectors. By joining our global team and learning from renowned subject matter experts, we can offer you a diverse career that could take you anywhere in the world.

Lycopodium is seeking a suitably qualified and experienced Principal Process Engineer to join our dynamic, growing team. The successful candidate will provide high quality deliverables to the Lycopodium Process Group and Project teams, whilst exceeding client expectations and maintaining a high degree of professional integrity and work ethic. The role has a career path through the Manager of Process position as part of Lycopodium’s succession planning process.

The tasks you'll perform

• Ensure that Process Engineering activities are conducted to the highest quality, ethical and in line with Company, Client and regulatory requirement.
• Establish design standards in areas of expertise for the process team.
• Coordinate the resources necessary to ensure that studies are completed on time, on budget and to the appropriate standard.
• Work collaboratively with personnel across all business units.
• Ensure overall process deliverables are achieved to a consistently high standard. Respond immediately to change to ensure projects are completed on time in accordance with the contractual scope of work and services.
• Utilise project reporting requirements in accordance with Company and Client standards to a high level of accuracy and professionalism.
• Responsible and accountable for all Process design functions carried out on designated Projects, whether handled personally or delegated to subordinate staff members.
• Deliver best practice process designs in accordance with project time, budget and technical requirements.
• Prepare and review study documents adhering to Company policies and procedures to a high level of accuracy and professionalism.
• Analyse data and its relationship to the process design.
• Manage the process components of scoping, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies to ensure they are correct and thorough, appropriate to the study phase.
• Carry out peer reviews of particular designs.
• Actively solicit new business and assist with established client maintenance.
• Suggest methods to improve operational efficiency within the Process Engineering team.
• Work in conjunction with a range of internal and external stakeholders to meet project design work criteria and deliverables.
• Develop and contribute to the delivery of improvement initiatives which support business priorities for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to engineers in training professional development by providing consistent mentoring and identify avenues of development.
• Proactively support other team members as required to ensure Project deliverables are met.
• Ensure a high level of communication is attained within the Process Engineering group.
• Provide leadership, guidance and direction to the Process Engineering group as required.
• Travel on an ad-hoc basis to suit the needs of the business and its operations.

The expertise you'll bring:

• University degree in Metallurgy, Chemical Engineering or equivalent qualification.
• A minimum of 15+ years of experience in mineral processing and/or related industries and post graduate experience.
• Mix of process plant operations and project development roles, within mining companies, and contract engineering organisations.
• South African Citizen or Permanent Resident
• Cape Town based

Commodity:

• Gold and silver – free milling and refractory ores.
• Platinum group metals and chrome.
• Uranium
• Base metals (copper/lead/zinc/nickel/cobalt) – sulphides in particular, and oxides.
• Battery minerals (graphite/lithium).
• Iron ore (haematite/magnetite).
• Mineral sands (ilmenite/rutile/zircon/monatize).
• Industrial minerals (limestone/barite/talc/gypsum/potash/phosphates/etc).

Unit Process Focus:

• Comminution – crushing and screening, HPGR, milling (SAG, ball, rod, attrition) and classification.
• Ore preconcentration – DMS, machine sorting.
• Gravity separation – spirals, centrifugal bowl, tables, jigs.
• Froth flotation – including alternative equipment technologies – Jamieson, Woodgrove, Concorde, etc.
• Electrostatic separation.
• Magnetic separation
• Dewatering – thickening, filtration, centrifuging.
• Hydrometallurgical operations – leaching, carbon adsorption/desorption, solvent extraction, ion exchange, electrowinning.
• Refractory ore processing – roasting, pressure oxidation, Biox®, ultrafine grinding, Albion process.
• Heat exchange – process heating and cooling, crystallisers, dryers.
• Process plant instrumentation and control philosophy.
• Interpretation of mineralogical and metallurgical test work results.

Process Simulation/Digital:

• IDEAS or similar software.
• Digital twinning.
• Scenario modelling.
• Solid technical aptitude, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Build and sustain positive relationships with all stakeholders, including clients, vendors and co-workers.
• Ability to work with people at all levels within an organisation and external providers.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to multitask and prioritise to a high standard of accuracy and professionalism.
• Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision whilst consistently producing a high quality of deliverables.
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility and commitment.
• Demonstrate a strict practice of confidentiality, personal responsibility and discretion.
• Exemplify and encourage the core values and ethos of the business.
• Provide mentoring and identify avenues of professional development and succession planning for personnel within your group.
• Intuitive leader with the ability to initiate, lead and manage change in a complex environment.
• Capacity to delegate appropriately.
• Capacity to evaluate work practices, implement systems and suggest alternatives and refinements where necessary.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve consistently high standards within both budgetary and schedule constraints.
• Well-developed business acumen with the ability to adapt to different business environments.
• High attention to detail and exceptional knowledge of contract law and contract document requirements.
• Ability to travel on an ad-hoc basis to suit the needs of the business and its operations.
• High degree of professional ethics.
• Highly developed negotiation, influencing, analytical and problem resolution skills.

The benefits we'll provide

Lycopodium has a strong company culture focused on career progression and technical skill development. You can expect to be involved in a wide range of large projects whilst working amongst a team of highly skilled professionals.

We recognise that everyone is different and needs may change over the course of your career.

That’s why we:

• Invest in our people for the long-term, building a diverse and rewarding career, mentored by the best in the industry.
• Allow our people to balance work with other commitments, like family or study, offering flexible work arrangements.
• Are undertaking significant people and technology initiatives that will support the workplace of the future.

We encourage and value diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of gender, age, disability and ethnicity.

Our commitment to equal opportunity is embodied in our values of Respect, Integrity & Diligence. They are inherent in who we are, as individuals, and collectively as a Company.

As part of our commitment to providing the best possible care and service to you the candidate, we commit to respond to every applicant.

Please submit your CV by clicking the 'Apply' button.