Director, Process & Automation

Director, Process & Automation

Position Summary
Our client is seeking a full-time Director, Process & Automation to lead the development and integration of process engineering and automation systems for the Clearwater Project in Alberta, with work primarily coordinated from the client's Calgary headquarters.

This role provides technical and leadership oversight across FEED, detailed engineering, commissioning, and ready-for-operations activities, ensuring the process design and basic process control system achieve safety, operability, and performance objectives.

About Our Client
Our client is pioneering a new industry and redefining what is possible by deploying local expertise to bring lithium into Alberta's value chain. This is innovation at scale, driven by bold ideas, cutting-edge technology, and a team that thrives on solving complex challenges.

Joining the organization means more than building a career—it means becoming part of an ambitious team that collaborates naturally and is committed to building a new industry within Canada. This role offers an unparalleled opportunity to contribute to a company experiencing significant growth in one of the most important industries of our time. The organization supports growth and curiosity, celebrates work-life balance, and provides the space to achieve meaningful results.

Based in Calgary, recognized as one of North America's most livable cities, employees work at the intersection of innovation, impact, and quality of life.

Responsibilities

• Champion a strong safety culture across the organization, reinforcing that safety is a core value and a shared responsibility rather than a compliance exercise.
• Lead the process engineering and automation team in delivering all process and control system design activities across FEED, detailed engineering, commissioning, and ready-for-operations phases.
• Oversee the development and approval of key engineering deliverables including process simulations, heat and material balances, process flow diagrams, process and instrumentation diagrams, process control narratives, and related documentation.
• Oversee control system architecture development, as well as the selection, design, and configuration of the basic process control system for the central processing facility and well pads.
• Provide technical oversight through the design evolution of core processing technologies including two-phase separation, direct lithium extraction, membrane system treatment, ion exchange, evaporation, and carbonation.
• Steward process hazard analyses (PHA), control system risk assessments, and ensure compliance with applicable codes and standards (CSA, API, ASME, ISO).
• Collaborate with EPC contractors, vendors, and internal stakeholders to ensure an integrated, efficient, and operable design.
• Support technical bid evaluations, vendor selection, and equipment specification.
• Provide leadership and technical support through commissioning, start-up, and ramp-up phases, including troubleshooting and performance optimization.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including digitalization, process optimization, and implementation of advanced control strategies.
• Mentor and develop engineering team members while fostering a high-performing, collaborative engineering culture.
• As part of a young and growing company, establish processes and procedures that set the team up for long-term success, taking a systematic approach in areas where no formal processes or procedures currently exist, and continuously evolving them to support organizational growth.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 20+ years of progressive experience in process engineering and/or automation within chemical processing, oil & gas, or mining sectors.
• Registered as a Professional Engineer with APEGA and in good standing.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams through FEED, detailed design, and execution of large-scale processing facilities.
• Experience with the design of process safety systems and controls.
• Strong understanding of process safety, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Strong experience with process control systems, including DCS/PLC platforms, control system architecture, and advanced process control.
• Significant experience with complex fluid processing systems, preferably including lithium, hydrometallurgy, or brine-based processing.
• Experience with the design of sour service separation and compression equipment.
• Proven ability to oversee development of process simulations and engineering deliverables (HMBs, PFDs, P&IDs).
• Experience working within EPC, owner's engineering, or integrated project delivery environments.
• Experience supporting commissioning, start-up, and optimization of facilities.

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.