Physical Metallurgist

Location: Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States. Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Company

hirify.global manufactures American rare-earth permanent magnets for defense, aerospace, automotive, and other critical high-technology industries.

What you will do

• Lead thermodynamic model-supported experimental materials and process development for high-temperature metal production from oxides.
• Design and conduct laboratory and pilot-scale rare-earth metallization experiments and translate improvements to full production.
• Optimize salt chemistry, process conditions, reactor geometry, residence time, kinetics, and throughput.
• Prepare and characterize materials using optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, XRD, XRF, ICP, and related techniques.
• Use FactSage, Thermo-Calc, or similar CALPHAD tools to model phase equilibria, thermochemical properties, reaction pathways, and multicomponent alloy and oxide/slag/salt systems.
• Document processes, analyze experimental results, present findings, and provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and technicians.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or higher in Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, or a related field.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in metallurgical or electrochemical process development or production.
• Experience supporting pilot plants or early commercial operations.
• Ability to independently design and execute experiments and create clear, auditable, operator-ready process documentation.
• Strong technical writing and communication skills, with working knowledge of phase equilibria, Design of Experiments, and analytical techniques.
• U.S. Person status is required for access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

Nice to have

• Experience in startup or scale-up environments.
• Knowledge of quality systems, including ISO and internal technical governance.
• Knowledge of CALPHAD tools such as FactSage or Thermo-Calc.
• Experience with high-temperature molten salts.
• Ability to operate as a technical authority without excessive oversight.

Culture & Benefits

• Work across R&D, process engineering, operations, quality, and EHS teams.
• Prioritize safe, scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally compliant chemical processes.
• Follow strict laboratory safety protocols and regulatory guidelines.
• Use required PPE, including lab coats, safety glasses, gloves, and additional protective equipment for specific procedures.
• Complete required safety training and maintain a clean, compliant laboratory environment.