R&D Project Manager

Cyclic Materials is building a resilient circular supply chain for rare earth elements and other critical materials. Through our fully integrated proprietary technology platform, we recover rare earths from end-of-life products and transform them into high-purity materials used to produce new permanent magnets. These magnets are critical to the modern economy, underpinning AI, automotive, e-mobility, electronics, semiconductor, energy, defense, and other advanced manufacturing sectors.

Founded in 2021, Cyclic Materials has rapidly become a category leader in rare earth recovery, achieving commercial operations in less than five years. We currently operate facilities in Ontario and Arizona, with further expansion underway in South Carolina. Backed by investment accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., alongside strategic investors including Microsoft, Amazon, Hitachi Ventures, BMW i Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion fund, Energy Impact Partners, ArcTern Ventures, and Fifth Wall, we are scaling quickly and building the industrial backbone required to meet growing global demand for a secure and sustainable supply of rare earths.

We have established an extensive and growing network of commercial partnerships with global industry leaders such as Solvay, Vattenfall, Lime, and VACUUMSCHMELZE, enabling the rapid deployment of recycled rare earth materials into real-world supply chains. Joining Cyclic Materials means tackling complex and exciting challenges at scale alongside a team committed to strong execution and measurable impact. If you are motivated by building critical infrastructure and advancing the circular economy, join us and help accelerate the growth of rare earth recycling.

Position Overview

The R&D Project Manager - Solvent Extraction Metallurgy is a project-management role responsible for planning, coordinating, and delivering technical R&D projects that support rare earth recycling, hydrometallurgical process development, scale-up, and commercialization. The role is expected to spend approximately 60-70% of its time on project management, project controls, stakeholder alignment, governance, risk management, and delivery of R&D milestones. The remaining 30-40% of the role provides technical expertise, such as solvent extraction and rare earth metallurgy to ensure projects are technically robust, practical, safe, and ready for scale-up or implementation.

This position is ideal for a metallurgist or chemical/process engineer who has moved beyond purely technical execution and can lead multidisciplinary R&D workstreams with clear scope, schedule, budget, decision-making, and accountability.

Role Focus and Time Allocation

• Project Management and R&D Delivery: Own project planning, execution rhythm, controls, reporting, risk management, cross-functional coordination, stage-gate readiness, and delivery of agreed outcomes.
• Solvent Extraction and Metallurgical Expertise: Provide hands-on technical judgment for REE hydrometallurgy and solvent extraction test plans, data interpretation, flowsheet decisions, scale-up risks, and troubleshooting.
• Business Travel: Support project reviews, pilot campaigns, plant trials, vendor/customer engagements, strategic partner meetings, conferences, and technical troubleshooting.

What You Will Be Doing

• Project Management

• Project ownership: Lead multiple R&D projects from intake and scope definition through execution, reporting, stage-gate review, handover, and close-out.
• Scope, schedule, and budget: Develop project charters, work breakdown structures, schedules, budgets, resourcing plans, procurement inputs, milestone plans, and change-control processes.
• Project controls: Track schedule, cost, resources, technical progress, risks, issues, dependencies, action items, decisions, and deliverables using clear and disciplined project management tools.
• Governance and stage gates: Prepare decision packages, readiness reviews, test campaign plans, technical summaries, risk assessments, and stage-gate materials for leadership and project sponsors.
• Cross-functional leadership: Coordinate metallurgists, scientists, engineers, technicians, operations, EHS, procurement, finance, and other key stakeholders as required.
• Stakeholder communication: Provide concise project updates, executive summaries, dashboards, presentations, meeting minutes, and escalation notes that make technical and business decisions easier.
• Risk and issue management: Build and maintain risk registers, mitigation plans, issue logs, contingency plans, decision records, and lessons learned for R&D, pilot, and plant-facing activities.
• Commercialization readiness: Translate R&D outcomes into practical implementation plans, operating envelopes, design inputs, SOP requirements, commissioning inputs, and plant trial plans.
• Safety and compliance: Ensure R&D projects are planned and executed with appropriate EHS reviews, chemical hygiene controls, waste management practices, management of change, and safe work practices.

    2. Solvent Extraction and Metallurgical Expertise 

• Technical direction: Provide metallurgy input during project scoping, experimental planning, test campaign design, data review, and decision-making.
• REE solvent extraction: Guide work involving extraction, scrubbing, stripping, phase separation, impurity rejection, recycle streams, reagent systems, organic/aqueous ratios, acidity, pH, loading capacity, and product quality.
• Process performance: Optimize REE recovery, selectivity, purity, yield, throughput, reagent consumption, impurity control, phase disengagement, crud control, entrainment, and third-phase risk.
• Scale-up judgment: Identify technical risks when moving from bench to pilot, demonstration, or plant conditions, and ensure project plans include the right validation steps and decision criteria.
• Technical documentation: Ensure technical reports, flowsheet inputs, mass balances, metallurgical accounting, troubleshooting guides, and project close-out documents are accurate and actionable.

What You Need to Succeed

• Bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemistry, Project Management (PMP) or a related technical field; Master's degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in technical project management, multiple projects management, grant writing, industrial R&D, hydrometallurgy, chemical process development, critical minerals processing, recycling, mining, or manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated ability to manage technical projects using scopes, schedules, budgets, resource plans, risk registers, dashboards, action logs, decision records, and stage-gate deliverables.
• 5+ years leading R&D projects, pilot campaigns, commercial operations, process improvement workstreams, technology scale-up projects, capital-adjacent studies, or multidisciplinary technical programs.
• Practical solvent extraction and hydrometallurgy knowledge, including aqueous chemistry, organic reagent systems, equilibrium behavior, circuit configuration, phase disengagement, impurity removal, and scale-up considerations.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams and external partners without always relying on direct authority; able to drive accountability and remove barriers to execution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convert complex technical details into clear business updates, options, risks, and recommendations.
• Strong analytical and project-controls capability; proficiency with Excel, MS Project, Primavera, Power BI, Minitab, JMP, Python, process modeling tools, AI, or equivalent platforms is an asset.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, respectful collaboration, practical execution, and continuous improvement in a dynamic startup environment.
• Ability to travel up to 30% for business purposes and work in office, laboratory, pilot plant, vendor, customer, partner, and operating plant environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience in Project Management involving rare earth elements, solvent extraction, hydrometallurgical flowsheets, critical minerals recycling, magnet recycling, or technology scale-up.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), or comparable project delivery certification is an asset.
• Experience translating bench-scale and pilot results into implementation of roadmaps, operating windows, design bases,
• Professional Engineering designation or eligibility is an asset where applicable.

Pay Range

$88,200—$136,800 CAD

Why You Will Love Cyclic Materials  

• At Cyclic Materials, we're dedicated to supporting our workforce on their unique career journey
• We offer a competitive compensation package including Health and Dental coverage, RRSP (Canada)/ 401K (USA) contributions and a generous paid time off program that lets you recharge
• We value diversity and are committed to maintaining a workplace where everyone is respected and recognized for their contributions

The base compensation offered is determined based on the successful candidate’s relevant experience, skills, and competencies and considers internal equity.

As an Equal Opportunity employer, Cyclic Materials is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all individuals have an opportunity to succeed. If you require accommodation at any stage of the interview process, please email [email protected]. Applicants for roles in Canada or the United States must be authorized to work in the applicable country without current or future sponsorship from Cyclic Materials, including for an H1-B visa, F-1 visa (OPT), TN, L1-A visa, or any other non-immigrant status.

To all applicants, your interest and effort are sincerely appreciated. While we thank everyone for their application, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.