{"id":824410,"url":"https://alion.io/job/solcoa-research-engineer","title":"Research Engineer, Metallurgy","company":{"id":720862,"name":"Solcoa","domain":"solcoaindustries.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/solcoaindustries","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":84,"open_postings":14,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.643,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-11-07T05:47:08Z"}},"role":"AI/ML","role_family":"AI/ML","seniority":"middle","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Alameda, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":120000,"max":175000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":175000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2025-09-02T17:28:04Z","employer_posted_date":"2025-09-02","last_verified_at":"2026-11-07T23:22:42Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":431,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":430},"description":"Making the Metals Powering the World\nSolcoa is building the next generation of American metalmaking, starting with rare earths - the metals of power and motion. We've developed a new chemistry that converts rare earth oxides into high-purity metals - the materials inside every EV, fighter jet, wind turbine, and data center - cleaner, cheaper, and faster than any conventional process. Now we're scaling it to thousands of tonnes of annual production.\nThe Role\nOwn difficult, first-principles R&D that unlocks rare-earth metal production at scale. You will design and execute high-temperature experiments, build and operate custom rigs, extract mechanisms from data, and translate lab breakthroughs into reproducible unit operations for our demo plant. This role is deeply technical and experimental.\nPyrometallurgical research: calcination, vacuum/steam distillation, carbothermic/metallothermic reduction, smelting, refining.\n\nHigh-temperature electrochemistry: molten-salt/molten-oxide electrolysis, cell design, anode/cathode materials, current efficiency.\n\nNuclear engineering research: molten-salt chemistries, materials compatibility, graphite/refractory behavior, high-T gas-cooled systems.\n\nMetal processing engineering: molten metal handling/casting, powder metallurgy (atomization, pressing, sintering), heat treatment.\n\nWhat You’ll Do\nRun bench/pilot experiments to quantify kinetics, transport, and equilibria.\n\nBuild/operate furnace systems, vacuum/inert atmospheres, retorts/crucibles.\n\nDevelop and validate PFD-level experimental flows; compute mass/energy balances; establish operating envelopes.\n\nApply thermochemical modeling (CALPHAD/Thermo-Calc/FactSage/HSC) and phase diagrams to guide conditions and materials.\n\nCharacterize feed and products using ICP-MS/OES, XRD, SEM/EDS, and LECO O/N/H; close element balances.\n\nAuthor rigorous documentation: SOPs, test plans, hazards analyses, data packages; present results with statistical confidence.\n\nCollaborate with machinists/technicians to fabricate fixtures; specify sensors, heaters, seals, and vacuum hardware.\n\nEnforce safety for molten metals, reactive powders, hot work, compressed gases, and magnetized materials.\n\nWhat You Bring\nRequired\nTypically 3+ years (flexible) as a research engineer/assistant or PhD-level researcher with demonstrated research achievements (papers, patents, prototypes).\n\nDepth in at least one focus area above; strong foundation in thermodynamics, transport, reaction kinetics, and materials.\n\nProven ability to build experimental setups, write/control test scripts, and produce decision-grade data.\n\nHands-on with furnaces, vacuum/inert gas systems, gloveboxes, and high-T instrumentation; meticulous lab discipline.\n\nData fluency (Python/MATLAB, spreadsheets); uncertainty analysis; clear, technical writing.\n\nPreferred\nExperience with rare-earth chemistry/metallurgy (Nd, Dy, Tb), chloride/fluoride molten salts, and contamination control.\n\nCorrosion/materials compatibility at high temperature; selection of refractories and crucible/alloy systems.\n\nBasic CAD (Fusion/SolidWorks) for fixtures; simple FEA/thermal modeling; familiarity with HAZOP/MOC culture.\n\nCompensation & Benefits\nCompetitive base salary.\n\nComprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance.\n\nCompany-provided lunch daily.\n\nVisa sponsorship available if needed.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3340,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"phd","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Materials Science & Nanotechnology","Metals & Metallurgy","Rare Earth Metals"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-12T13:56:30Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":false,"adverts_offering_sponsorship_24m":19,"sanctioned_now":false,"evidence":"Offered visa sponsorship in 19 of its adverts here in 24 months","filings_12m":0,"filings_prev_12m":0,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":null,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-07T07:57:00+00:00","sources":["Alion: sponsorship offered in the employer's own job adverts (24 months)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":5,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.162,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":430,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:2","stale_co","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-11-07T05:47:08Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":175000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/solcoa-research-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/solcoa-research-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-08T03:13:47Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":6958,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-09T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":720862},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=720862"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fsolcoa-research-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fsolcoa-research-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fsolcoa-research-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/solcoa-research-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fsolcoa-research-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":824410}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"solcoaindustries.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":824410},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); 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