Job description

Job Purpose The Process Lead Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership and operational driving excellence across the entire aluminum recycling process. The role ensures safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable operations from scrap receiving and sorting through melting, alloy preparation, casting, and finished product handling.
The position leads process optimization initiatives, supports technology implementation, ensures product quality and regulatory compliance, and promotes continuous improvement to maximize metal recovery, productivity, and cost competitiveness.
The Process Lead Engineer plays a key role in advancing recycling performance, improving energy efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and supporting the strategic growth and competitiveness of the organization. Key Accountabilities Health, Safety and Risk Management

• Promote a strong safety culture.
• Ensure compliance with company HSE requirements and regulatory standards.
• Participate in:

• HAZOP.
• Risk assessments.
• Incident investigations.

• Ensure safe operation of high-temperature processes and molten metal handling systems.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical leadership and expertise throughout the aluminum recycling process including:
  • Scrap receiving and preparation.
  • Sorting operations.
  • De-coating and pretreatment.
  • Melting and holding furnaces.
  • Alloying and metal treatment.
  • Casting operations (slab, billet, sow or ingot).
  • Product handling and packaging.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, operational philosophies, and best engineering practices.

Process Optimization and Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve:

• Metal recovery and yield.
• Throughput and productivity.
• Furnace efficiency.
• Energy consumption.
• Casting performance.
• Product quality.
• Waste minimization and dross reduction.

Scrap Management and Sorting Performance

• Optimize scrap blend strategies to maximize recovery and minimize contaminants.
• Support development of sorting philosophies and material flow strategies.
• Monitor and improvement:
  • Recovery rates.
  • Yield.
  • Purity levels.
  • Sorting efficiency.
  • Residue generation.

• Evaluate new sorting technologies including:
  • Sensor-based sorting.
  • XRT.
  • LIBS.
  • Eddy current separators.

Melting and Metal Treatment

• Optimize furnace performance and charging practices.
• Improve:
  • Specific energy consumption.
  • Melt losses.
  • Furnace productivity.
  • Metal cleanliness.

• Support alloy chemistry control and molten metal treatment processes.
• Ensure effective management of:
  • Fluxes.
  • Degassing systems.
  • Filtration systems.
  • Dross generation and recycling.

Casting Operations

• Oversee optimization of casting processes to ensure:
  • Product integrity.
  • Surface quality.
  • Dimensional accuracy.
  • High productivity.
  • Consistent metallurgical properties.
• Support improvements in:
  • Casting tables.
  • Cooling systems.
  • Mold technology.
  • Process automation.

Quality Assurance

• Establish and maintain robust quality systems and procedures.
• Develop and monitor quality KPIs.
• Ensure compliance with:
  • Customer specifications.
  • Internal quality standards.
  • International standards.
• Investigate quality deviations and implement corrective actions.

Operational Excellence and Reliability

• Monitor plant performance and reliability indicators.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and constraints.
• Support reliability and availability improvements.
• Participate in:
  • FMEA.
  • RCA.
  • Reliability studies.

Operational readiness activities Sustainability and Environmental Performance

• Drive initiatives aimed at:
  • Lower carbon footprint.
  • Reduced energy consumption.
  • Increased recycled content.
  • Waste reduction.
  • Circular economy principles.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and sustainability targets.
• Support management of:
  • Dross.
  • Salt slag.
  • Dust and emissions.
  • Waste streams.

Minimum Qualifications, Experience and Competencies Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in science and engineering, with Chemical / Metallurgical Engineering preferred.                 Other Engineering professionals with related experience.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in aluminum recycling, secondary aluminum production, melting and casting operations, or related metallurgical industries.
• Experience in one or more of the following is preferred:
  • Scrap sorting.
  • De-coating technologies.
  • Melting furnaces.
  • Holding furnaces.
  • Alloy development.
  • Billet casting.
  • Slab casting.
  • Process optimization.
  • Operation readiness and commissioning.

Job Purpose The Process Lead Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership and operational driving excellence across the entire aluminum recycling process. The role ensures safe, reliable, efficient, and sustainable operations from scrap receiving and sorting through melting, alloy preparation, casting, and finished product handling.
The position leads process optimization initiatives, supports technology implementation, ensures product quality and regulatory compliance, and promotes continuous improvement to maximize metal recovery, productivity, and cost competitiveness.
The Process Lead Engineer plays a key role in advancing recycling performance, improving energy efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and supporting the strategic growth and competitiveness of the organization. Key Accountabilities Health, Safety and Risk Management

• Promote a strong safety culture.
• Ensure compliance with company HSE requirements and regulatory standards.
• Participate in:

• HAZOP.
• Risk assessments.
• Incident investigations.

• Ensure safe operation of high-temperature processes and molten metal handling systems.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical leadership and expertise throughout the aluminum recycling process including:
  • Scrap receiving and preparation.
  • Sorting operations.
  • De-coating and pretreatment.
  • Melting and holding furnaces.
  • Alloying and metal treatment.
  • Casting operations (slab, billet, sow or ingot).
  • Product handling and packaging.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, operational philosophies, and best engineering practices.

Process Optimization and Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve:

• Metal recovery and yield.
• Throughput and productivity.
• Furnace efficiency.
• Energy consumption.
• Casting performance.
• Product quality.
• Waste minimization and dross reduction.

Scrap Management and Sorting Performance

• Optimize scrap blend strategies to maximize recovery and minimize contaminants.
• Support development of sorting philosophies and material flow strategies.
• Monitor and improvement:
  • Recovery rates.
  • Yield.
  • Purity levels.
  • Sorting efficiency.
  • Residue generation.

• Evaluate new sorting technologies including:
  • Sensor-based sorting.
  • XRT.
  • LIBS.
  • Eddy current separators.

Melting and Metal Treatment

• Optimize furnace performance and charging practices.
• Improve:
  • Specific energy consumption.
  • Melt losses.
  • Furnace productivity.
  • Metal cleanliness.

• Support alloy chemistry control and molten metal treatment processes.
• Ensure effective management of:
  • Fluxes.
  • Degassing systems.
  • Filtration systems.
  • Dross generation and recycling.

Casting Operations

• Oversee optimization of casting processes to ensure:
  • Product integrity.
  • Surface quality.
  • Dimensional accuracy.
  • High productivity.
  • Consistent metallurgical properties.
• Support improvements in:
  • Casting tables.
  • Cooling systems.
  • Mold technology.
  • Process automation.

Quality Assurance

• Establish and maintain robust quality systems and procedures.
• Develop and monitor quality KPIs.
• Ensure compliance with:
  • Customer specifications.
  • Internal quality standards.
  • International standards.
• Investigate quality deviations and implement corrective actions.

Operational Excellence and Reliability

• Monitor plant performance and reliability indicators.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and constraints.
• Support reliability and availability improvements.
• Participate in:
  • FMEA.
  • RCA.
  • Reliability studies.

Operational readiness activities Sustainability and Environmental Performance

• Drive initiatives aimed at:
  • Lower carbon footprint.
  • Reduced energy consumption.
  • Increased recycled content.
  • Waste reduction.
  • Circular economy principles.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and sustainability targets.
• Support management of:
  • Dross.
  • Salt slag.
  • Dust and emissions.
  • Waste streams.

Minimum Qualifications, Experience and Competencies Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in science and engineering, with Chemical / Metallurgical Engineering preferred.                 Other Engineering professionals with related experience.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in aluminum recycling, secondary aluminum production, melting and casting operations, or related metallurgical industries.
• Experience in one or more of the following is preferred:
  • Scrap sorting.
  • De-coating technologies.
  • Melting furnaces.
  • Holding furnaces.
  • Alloy development.
  • Billet casting.
  • Slab casting.
  • Process optimization.
  • Operation readiness and commissioning.

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.

Preferred candidate

Years of experience

No experience required

Degree

Bachelor's degree / higher diploma