Position Title: General Manager/Senior General Manager - R&D (PGM refining)

Role Summary:

Lead development and optimization of refining process for Platinum group metal (Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ag, Au, Ir, Re and Os etc).

Ensuring maximum recovery, purity, cost efficiency and safe scale-up process from lab to plant. The incumbent acts as a key operational leader on the ground, translating strategy into execution, driving day-to-day performance, and building strong process development discipline across the team.

Core Responsibilities:

Process Development & Optimization:

- Develop and improve leaching, precipitation, solvent extraction, Ion exchange/scavenger adsorption and reduction processes for PGMs.

- Improve metal recovery efficiency (%) and cycle time.

- Reduce reagent consumption and operating cost.

Technology Selection & Scale-Up:

- Translate lab trials into pilot and plant-scale processes.

- Design process flow sheets (PFDs) and mass balances.

- Work closely with production to ensure smooth scale-up without yield loss.

- Troubleshoot scale-up challenges like slurry handling, filtration issues, and selectivity losses in multi-metal refining.

Plant Troubleshooting & Continuous Improvement:

- Act as technical support for production issues like low recovery, impurity carryover, and slow kinetics.

- Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) and implement CAPA.

- Drive process standardization and robustness.

- Evaluate emerging refining technologies including solvent extraction systems, ion exchange resins/scavengers, pressure leach, smelter, and electrolysis.

- Benchmark against global refining practices.

- Techno commercial understanding.

- Identify opportunities for recycling reagents value generation from waste, PGM recovery from organic solvent stream, and reducing losses in effluent/slag.

EHS & Compliance:

- Ensure safe handling of chlorine gas, strong acids (HCl, HNO3, H2SO4) and alkali (NaOH, Ammonia), and organic solvents.

- Ensure compliance with pollution control norms.

Preferred (High-Impact Additions):

- Experience with multi-metal separation (Pt/Pd/Rh/Ag/Au/Ir selectivity).

- Exposure to solvent extraction circuits.

- Knowledge of waste minimization & metal recovery from effluents.

Key Requirements:

Education: PhD in chemistry.

Experience: 20 - 25 years in precious metal refining, hydro and pyrometallurgy, catalyst recycling or PGM processing, with strong hands-on experience in chloride chemistry systems.

Industry Exposure: Metals / Refining.