Process Engineer

We are seeking a motivated, curious, and hands-on Process Engineer with at least five years of relevant experience in materials processing, metallurgical process development, or related thermal and electrochemical technologies to join our R&D team at Novex.

This role combines thermal processing, electrochemistry, and materials science with laboratory and pilot-scale engineering. A key responsibility is turning experimental concepts into working systems: designing and building custom equipment, testing and commissioning it, and integrating it into automated and robotic laboratory workflows supported by a laboratory information management system (LIMS).

We welcome candidates who bring strong technical foundations, practical engineering skills, and a willingness to tackle challenging experiments and unfamiliar problems. This position is based at our R&D facility in Bellingham, WA, and offers opportunities to expand your expertise, take ownership of technical projects, and help advance new materials processing and metallization technologies.

Why join us?

• Work on meaningful scientific and engineering challenges. Contribute to cutting-edge projects focused on critical materials processing, metallization, and alloying.
• Put advanced equipment to work. Gain hands-on access to a unique suite of analytical and materials characterization instruments, alongside laboratory automation and robotic platforms from Hamilton, Chemspeed, Sirius Automation, ABB, and FESTO. Connect detailed material analysis with thermal processing, electrochemistry, and automated experimentation to develop better processes.
• Keep learning and growing. Expand your expertise across metallurgy, chemistry, materials science, electrochemistry, and automation through challenging experiments and collaborative research. Take on increasing responsibility and help shape new research directions.
• Enjoy flexibility and professional development. Benefit from flexible work arrangements that accommodate laboratory and project needs, along with opportunities to develop your technical skills and advance your career.
• Make an impact in a growing team. Bring your ideas, contribute to technical decisions, and see your work move from experimental concepts to functioning equipment and pilot-scale demonstrations.
• Live and work between the mountains and the sea. Bellingham, Washington, offers access to skiing at Mount Baker, sailing in the San Juan Islands, and hiking through Pacific Northwest forests. Enjoy a vibrant local community, cultural attractions, and the character of a smaller city, with Seattle and Vancouver, BC, within reach.

Our in-house capabilities

Our Innovation Center brings process development, advanced characterization, and pilot testing together, including:

• Materials characterization: SEM, TEM, AFM, XRD, XRF, particle-size analysis, and rheology.
• Chemical and thermal analysis: ICP-MS/OES, atomic absorption (AA), LC-MS, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).
• Thermal and electrochemical processing: Controlled-atmosphere furnaces, potentiostats, galvanostats, impedance analysis, and electrochemical reactors.
• Laboratory and pilot equipment: Reactors, pressure systems, milling, and powder preparation equipment.
• Automation and robotics: Robotic sample handling, automated liquid and powder dosing, automated reaction platforms, instrumentation, and process monitoring.

What you will do

• Develop and optimize thermal, chemical, and electrochemical processes for metallization and materials conversion.
• Design, build, modify, test, and commission custom laboratory and pilot systems, including reactors, electrochemical cells, thermal equipment, and experimental test rigs.
• Select and integrate pumps, valves, tubing, heaters, sensors, controls, and data acquisition systems.
• Develop automated and robotic workflows for sample preparation, dosing, experiments, and analytical testing.
• Connect experimental and analytical workflows with LIMS for sample tracking, operating records, results management, and data traceability.
• Plan and execute laboratory experiments and pilot trials, using process data and characterization results to improve recovery, purity, product quality, and operating reliability.
• Prepare process flowsheets, process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), mass and energy balances, equipment specifications, test plans, and operating procedures.
• Troubleshoot equipment and process performance, investigate unexpected results, and translate findings into practical improvements and follow-up trials.

Required qualifications and skills

• A minimum of five years of relevant experience, with hands-on work in both laboratory and pilot-scale environments.
• Relevant education or equivalent practical experience in materials science, chemical or metallurgical engineering, chemistry, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to design, build, modify, troubleshoot, test, and commission custom experimental equipment.
• Practical experience with thermal processing of materials, furnace operation, and atmosphere control.
• Strong knowledge of chemistry, materials science, and electrochemistry, including hands-on work with electrochemical cells and instrumentation.
• Working knowledge of SEM, TEM, AFM, and XRD, including sample preparation and interpretation of results; familiarity with ICP-MS, XRF, and TGA.
• Familiarity with laboratory automation, robotic workflows, and LIMS-based sample and data management.
• Proficiency in process flowsheets, engineering calculations, mass and energy balances, experimental design, and technical documentation.
• Strong technical communication skills, including preparing equipment specifications, test reports, operating procedures, and recommendations supported by experimental evidence.
• Demonstrated commitment to safe equipment design and operating practices, including hazard assessment for thermal, chemical, electrochemical, and pressure systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage assigned work independently while collaborating effectively with the team.

Good to have:

• Experience with molten-salt electrochemistry, electrowinning, electrorefining, or metal reduction.
• Experience with hydrometallurgical processing and its integration with thermal or electrochemical operations.
• Proficiency with computer-aided design (CAD) for equipment, components, and experimental systems.
• Experience with process modeling and simulation.
• Experience with robotic integration, including connecting equipment, instrumentation, and controls within automated experimental workflows.
• Experience implementing, configuring, or integrating LIMS with laboratory instruments and process data systems.

Novex provides training in its specific methods, equipment, and workflows. Candidates are expected to bring demonstrated engineering capability and a strong foundation in experimental process development, quantitative analysis, and scientific problem-solving.

Work authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States for Novex by their start date. Novex does not offer employment visa sponsorship. However, limited employer support for TN status may be considered for eligible Canadian citizens on a case-by-case basis, depending on the position’s duties, the applicant’s qualifications, and the required documentation.

• Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement savings plan with employer matching.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
• Professional development opportunities, including conference attendance and training support.