Date: 18 Jun 2026
Location: Kwinana, AU
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Company: Covalent Lithium Pty Ltd
About Us
At Covalent Lithium, we are genuinely passionate about creating a clean energy future and supporting our teams who enable this vision.
Following the commissioning of our mine and concentrator at Mt Holland in 2024, we recently celebrated our first production of battery -grade lithium hydroxide at our Kwinana Refinery. We are now a fully integrated mine-to-refinery operation, supplying high quality lithium hydroxide to global markets and enabling approximately 1 million electric vehicles to go on the road, every year for the next 50 years.
We are proud to foster a culture where people with different skills, experiences and backgrounds are welcomed and set-up for success.
Employee Benefits
We support, empower and reward our people with a range of benefits:
Competitive remuneration, and annual incentives for eligible employees
Access to discounts, recognition and rewards
Access to flexible work arrangements
Dedicated wellbeing program support and discounted health insurance
Equal access to paid parental leave, financial support, return to work and parenting room
Salary sacrifice options for superannuation and novated leasing
The Role
14-Month Maternity Leave Contract
This position will support the Process Technology and Innovation Manager in executing the R&D program set by the company, as well as assessing and assisting with chemical process improvement projects. This role will also be responsible for defining commercial alternatives for refinery byproducts, with the intent of optimising investment returns to shareholders.
This is a Full-time fixed term contract based at our Kwinana Refinery.
Key Responsibilities
- Deliver R&D program as set by the company.
- Establish and maintain safe sustainable system of work (Plant/Laboratory) to ensure zero harm for employees, contractors, and the environment.
- Business case assessments and resource allocation.
- Ensuring testwork regimes are aligned with the objectives of each program, and required information is captured.
- Train, co-ordinate and supervise Technical and Engineering staff working in the Laboratories.
- Develop a process to assess and investigate/develop improvement ideas raised by technical and operational areas
- Define and co-ordinate necessary testing to characterise refinery byproducts and to economically evaluate opportunities identified for value addition.
- Define a pathway for refinery byproducts sale as a co-product, collaborating with internal departments such as Operations, Environmental and Logistics, as well as external consultants, research groups and collectives to explore options and progress approvals for functional re-use.
- Manage information, reporting and traceability for project work.
- Liaise with internal and external stakeholders.
- Support operational readiness and commissioning activities which require technical input.
- Support technical team in resolving medium to long term process issues associated with the operating plant, identifying and implementing continuous improvement projects
- Develop fit for purpose procedures and strategies
- Provide technical support to the operation
Role Requirements
- Chemical Engineering and/or equivalent qualification
- Valid driver’s license
- 10+ years in Process Engineering or other closely related field
- Strong technical knowledge of range of unit operations
- Demonstrated track record of problem solving and project management
- Experience in process trending and simulation software
- Strong report writing skills
A competitive remuneration package commensurate with the role, candidate experience, skills and qualifications will be offered.
Our team members are encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. Candidates from all backgrounds and ages are encouraged to apply, including First Nations People, those who identify as LGBTIQ+, people with disabilities and those with neurodiverse, intersectional, or multiple diverse characteristics.
Covalent Lithium is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, with a focus on our employees. We recognise skills, expertise, commitment and living our values of Purpose, Care, Accountability and Collaboration. Our goal is to attract, develop, motivate, reward, and retain the best people in the industry.
