Principal Engineer I – Heat Transfer

• Provide technical leadership and subject matter expertise in mechanical heat transfer principles, including conduction, convection, radiation, and heat exchanger design
• Support heap leach and hydrometallurgical operations
• Serve as the organization’s leading expert in heat exchanger selection and design, stockpile thermal modeling, and thermal management within leach environments
• Lead development, calibration, and validation of thermal models predicting heat generation, distribution, and loss within stockpiles
• Drive design and optimization of heat exchanger systems and heated raffinate distribution networks
• Develop thermal retention strategies to improve sulfide leaching kinetics and maximize metal recovery
• Lead heat transfer studies involving conduction, convection, and radiation within heap leach stockpiles
• Apply first-principles thermal analysis to predict pile temperature behavior
• Lead design, specification, sizing, selection, optimization, and troubleshooting of heat exchanger systems
• Apply LMTD and effectiveness-NTU analyses and address fouling to improve heat transfer performance
• Monitor and evaluate emerging technologies, industry best practices, and technical advancements in heat transfer, thermal modeling, heat recovery, and thermal management systems
• Perform other duties as required

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related engineering discipline and seven (7) years of experience in related engineering field; OR Master’s degree and five (5) years; OR PhD and three (3) years
• Demonstrated expertise in heat exchanger design, sizing, and troubleshooting (LMTD, effectiveness-NTU, fouling, pressure drop)
• Ability to develop and validate thermal models of large-scale systems such as heap leach stockpiles
• Working knowledge of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and transport phenomena
• Proficiency with thermal modeling tools such as ANSYS, COMSOL, CFD, MATLAB/Python
• Experience with heated-raffinate delivery, boilers, steam systems, or industrial water heating in a mining or process environment
• Ability to research and analyze complex information and draw valid conclusions
• Awareness of occupational hazards and safety precautions
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to travel domestically 1–2 times per month, typically up to 3 days per trip
• Ability to travel internationally 2–3 times per year, typically up to 2 weeks per trip
• Mandatory pre-employment drug testing as allowed by applicable laws

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in mechanical heat transfer principles, including heat exchanger design and thermal modeling, with a strong focus on optimizing heat transfer performance and maximizing metal recovery in leach environments. Proficient in applying first-principles thermal analysis and utilizing advanced thermal modeling tools to support engineering operations.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Heat Exchanger Design
• Thermal Modeling
• LMTD Analysis
• Fluid Mechanics
• Thermodynamics

Hard Skills

• Heat Transfer Principles
• Thermal Analysis
• Thermal Management
• Heat Exchanger Sizing
• Troubleshooting
• Thermal Retention Strategies
• Conduction
• Convection
• Radiation
• Heat Recovery

Soft Skills

• Complex Problem Solving
• Clear Communication
• Analytical Thinking

Industry Keywords

• Heap Leach
• Hydrometallurgical Operations
• Mining Engineering
• Occupational Safety
• Industrial Water Heating

Tools & Technologies

• ANSYS
• COMSOL
• CFD
• MATLAB
• Python