Project Engineer - Chemical Pilot Plants

at  Lydium Technical Services Ltd

ABOUT LYDIUM

Lydium is a consulting engineering firm specializing in process and chemical engineering for industrial startup companies and their investors. Our clients across Canada, the U.S., and Europe value our technical expertise, responsiveness, and collaborative approach.
Our firm is led by a small team of passionate engineers who are deeply involved in every project we take on. We specialize in extractive metallurgy, electrochemical systems, membrane systems, techno-economic modelling, and pilot plant design and execution.
If you enjoy leveraging your technical and project management skills, have a thorough understanding of experiment design, and possess a good sense of humour, keep reading!

JOB SUMMARY

We seek a Project Engineer - Chemical Pilot Plants to plan, coordinate, and execute the commissioning and execution phases of chemical pilot plant projects and programs.
In this role, you will consult closely with our client’s technical leadership team to advance projects from the end of the construction phase through mechanical checkout, water batching, chemical commissioning, and acceptance. After this, you will provide ongoing execution support for pilot plant campaigns, including setting KPIs, design of experiments, operational logistics and planning, analysis of results, and on-site supervision and support.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Chemistry (advanced research-focused academic qualification at Master’s or Ph.D. level considered an asset).
• 5+ years of experience in chemical process technology development, including direct experience commissioning and operating pilot plants.
• Advanced qualifications or experience in Project Management is considered an asset.
• Solid understanding of the scientific method, design of experiments, chemical processes, and plant scale-up.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, including MS Office and SharePoint.
• Eligible to live and work in Vancouver, Canada.
• Ability to travel without restriction within Canada and the USA.
• Expert proficiency in verbal and written English.
• EIT status or Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) license in British Columbia is considered an asset.
• Driver’s license (required for some sites).

• Plan and oversee the commissioning and execution phases of chemical pilot plant programs.
• Communicate with clients to coordinate work, provide updates, and address concerns.
• Manage project timelines, budgets, and resources.
• Write research plans and define KPIs in consultation with all stakeholders.
• Create commissioning plans and supervise their execution.
• Create detailed test plans that encompass all aspects of pilot plant operation.
• Train our clients’ junior staff on how to properly create SOPs, checklists, and templates.
• Support other phases of pilot plant projects as required, including design, procurement, construction, and mechanical check-out.
• Travel to project sites as needed (up to 25%), particularly during key project transitions.
• Support business development efforts by contributing to proposals and presentations.
• Enhance our service offering by developing an internal framework to help industrial startup companies design, build, and operate their pilot plants.