Director of Mineral Processing

Director of Mineral Processing

About the Company

The mining industry has steadily become worse at finding new ore deposits, requiring >10X more capital to make discoveries compared to 30 years ago. The easy-to-find, near-surface deposits have largely been found, and the industry has chronically under-invested in new exploration technology, relying on the manual techniques of yesteryear – even as demand accelerates for copper, lithium, and other metals to build electric vehicles, renewable energy, and data centers.

KoBold builds AI models for mineral exploration and deploys those models—alongside our novel sensors—to guide decisions on KoBold-owned-and-operated exploration programs. Since our founding in 2018, KoBold has become by far both the largest independent mineral exploration company and the largest exploration technology developer. Our data scientists and software engineers, who come from leading technology companies, jointly lead exploration programs with our renowned exploration geologists.

KoBold has proven its first discovery with materially less capital than the industry average and found one of the best copper deposits ever discovered: the copper is far more concentrated than the global average of copper mines, and this asset alone is expected to generate meaningful revenue for decades. KoBold has a portfolio of more than 60 other projects, each of which has the potential for another high-quality discovery.

KoBold is privately held; investors include institutional asset managers T. Rowe Price and Canada Pension Plan Investments; technology venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BOND Capital, Durable Capital, StepStone, and Standard Investments; and strategic natural resources companies BHP and Mitsubishi.

About the Role

The Mineral Processing Lead will contribute to and lead the development and execution of mineral processing strategy across KoBold’s portfolio, with an initial focus on the Mingomba copper project in Zambia. Reporting to the CTO, this role is responsible for all aspects of process engineering from early-stage metallurgical testwork through feasibility study design and operational readiness. You will define the flowsheet, drive geometallurgical characterization, evaluate processing routes (concentration, hydrometallurgy, smelting), and ensure that mineral processing considerations are integrated into mine planning and economic modeling from the earliest stages.

Responsibilities

Process Engineering & Flowsheet Development

• 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.

Geometallurgy & Integration

• 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.

Technical Leadership & Team Building

• 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.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• 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.

Qualifications

Required

• 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%).

Preferred

• 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

What to Expect

Joining KoBold means getting the opportunity for hands-on exposure to our exploration projects around the world. All employees are expected to travel to project sites, with a minimum of one week per year. Field-facing and technical roles spend significantly more time in the field.

KoBold Metals is an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities for people of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, age, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

This position is Full-time Exempt

The US base salary range for this full-time exempt position is $150,000–$300,000, plus equity and benefits including 401k matching.

Location: Remote. Preference will be given to candidates legally authorized to work in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, or Zambia. 20–30% travel required, primarily to Zambia project sites.