Junior Project Engineer - Upstream at Careers at USA Rare Earth

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Junior Project Engineer – Upstream, to support the delivery of capital projects in our upstream business unit, including pilot and demonstration plants for heap leach, hydrometallurgy, and swarf recycling. Reporting to the Head of Project Management and working under senior guidance, this role provides hands-on experience in project execution from concept to commissioning, with a focus on technical support, coordination, and basic analysis. The position will assist in Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) activities, EPCM management, and demo plant development, helping to ensure timely oxide production for downstream needs. This is an ideal opportunity for an early-career engineer to develop skills in a lean and dynamic environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in the planning, design, and execution of capital projects, including process plants, pilot plants (e.g., heap leach and hydrometallurgy demos), mine infrastructure, and magnet recycling facilities.
• Support project teams in developing scope documents, specifications, technical requirements, and project charters for upstream initiatives.
• Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams, including operations, processing, geology, mine planning, and external engineering, procurement, construction, and management (EPCM) contractors.
• Track project deliverables, schedules, budgets, critical paths, and roadmaps under senior supervision.
• Assist with EPCM management, including vendor coordination, progress tracking, and updates to project timelines.
• Gather and organize technical data for grant applications, focusing on project-specific inputs like pilot results and economic projections.
• Review competitors’ scoping studies, Preliminary Economic Assessments (PEAs), PFSs, and Feasibility Studies (FSs) to benchmark key project metrics (e.g., capex, opex, recovery rates) and provide summary insights for team use.
• Contribute to basic techno-economic analysis (TEA) updates by incorporating new technical data from demos and pilots.
• Participate in site visits, commissioning activities, and problem-solving to ensure project alignment with upstream goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mining, Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, or related Engineering discipline.
• 2-5 years of relevant engineering experience in a mining/energy organization or EPCM firm.
• Strong cross-discipline technical aptitude and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite and AutoCAD or similar design software.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Previous exposure to mining or heavy industry.
• Experience with project management software (e.g., Smartsheet, MS Project).
• Understanding of construction management principles.

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with REE or critical minerals projects, including demo plant development.
• Basic experience with data analysis tools (e.g., Excel for modeling) and grant preparation.
• Proactive mindset with the ability to handle multiple tasks in a lean team setting.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stand, move, sit, carry, bend, kneel, reach, push, pull, lift, use hands and fingers, handle, or feel and talk and hear. May be required to lift and move boxes or packages not exceeding 20 pounds in weight. Some work stress inherent to the position and extended work hours may be required. 

Work Environment:
The work environment will be a mix of a typical office environment, laboratory space, manufacturing floor and construction site.  

Noise level:

Exposure will vary and include normal office noise, typical laboratory sounds (e.g., ventilation systems, equipment operation), manufacturing floor noise (e.g., machinery, forklifts), and construction site noise depending on project phase and location.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills required of personnel so classified. The reporting relationship may not reflect the most recent changes to the corporate reporting structure.

USA Rare Earth proudly supports Equal Employment Opportunities

USA Rare Earth's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and will provide reasonable accommodations according to applicable federal, state, and/or local laws.

For assistance applying for employment through this site due to disability, please contact Human Resources, [email protected], to discuss reasonable accommodations.