Maaden Brief:
MAADEN, established in 1997, is one of the fastest-growing mining companies in the world and the largest multi-commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East. We are leading the development of the mining industry to become the third pillar of Saudi Arabia’s economy by building a world-class, unique, and fully integrated mining value chain.
We are pleased to share an exciting opportunity for the position. This role offers a chance to contribute to our ambitious growth and play a key part in shaping the future of mining in the Kingdom.
Role Profile
Job Title: Metallurgy Engineer
Business Unit/Function: MAADEN Aluminum
Department: Recycling – Production & Quality Engineering
Job Location: Ras Al Khair, Eastern KSA
Working hours: 8 hours
Job post duration: starting 24 June 2026 - end date 8 July 2026
Job Purpose
The Metallurgy Engineer is responsible for developing, standardizing, and continuously improving metallurgical and operational methodologies across aluminum recycling, melting, alloying, casting, and downstream processes. The role ensures implementation of best practices, optimization of process performance, product quality, metal recovery, energy efficiency, safety, and sustainability.
The position serves as the technical authority for process methodologies and supports commissioning, ramp-up, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the plant.
Key Accountabilities
Health, Safety and Risk Management
- Promote safe operating practices and process safety culture.
- Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and company standards.
- Drive initiatives to reduce:
- Energy consumption.
- CO₂ emissions.
- Waste generation.
- dross generation.
- Support ESG and recycled-content reporting requirements.
Process Methodology and Standardization
- Develop, maintain, and continuously improve operating methodologies for:
- Scrap receiving and preparation.
- Sorting and upgrading technologies.
- Charging practices.
- Melting and holding furnace operations.
- Alloying and metal treatment processes.
- Fluxing and dross management.
- Billet and slab casting operations.
- Homogenization and product handling.
- Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and process standards.
- Ensure methodologies are aligned with industry’s best practices and company operational excellence requirements.
- Lead process optimization studies to improve:
- Yield and recovery.
- Productivity.
- Product quality.
- Energy consumption.
- Furnace performance.
- Environmental performance
Technical Support and Continuous Improvement
- Provide technical support to operations, maintenance, and quality teams.
- Analyze process data and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for:
- Quality deviations.
- Metal losses.
- Process instability.
- Productivity issues.
- Furnace abnormalities.
- Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Lead process capability and benchmarking studies.
Aluminum Recycling Expertise
- Develop methodologies for processing various scrap categories, including:
- Post-industrial scrap.
- Post-consumer scrap.
- UBC (Used Beverage Cans).
- Tense, Twitch, and mixed scrap.
- Prime aluminum feed.
- Internal returns and process scrap.
- Optimize:
- Metal recovery and yield.
- Scrap blend strategies.
- Contamination management.
- Salt slag and dross generation.
- Recycled content performance.
- Support implementation of circular economy and sustainability initiatives.
Furnace and Melting Operations
Provide technical leadership for:
- Tilting melting furnaces.
- Side well furnaces.
- Holding furnaces.
- De-coating furnace
- Launder and molten metal transfer systems.
Optimize:
- Charging methodologies.
- Burner tuning and combustion efficiency.
- Heat transfer.
- Fuel consumption.
- Furnace refractory life.
- Shell temperature monitoring practices.
- Furnace campaign management
Casting Methodology
Develop and optimize methodologies for:
- DC billet casting.
- DC slab casting.
- Grain refining and alloy additions.
- Degassing and filtration.
- Casting parameter optimization.
- Water cooling practices.
- Butt curl control.
- Surface quality improvement.
- Defect prevention and reduction.
Investigate and resolve casting defects including:
- Cracks.
- Bleeds.
- Segregation.
- Inclusions.
- Surface imperfections.
- Porosity.
Product Quality and Metallurgy
- Ensure compliance with product specifications and customer requirements.
- Support production of:
- 3xxx series alloys.
- 5xxx series alloys.
- 6xxx series alloys.
- Work closely with laboratory and quality teams on:
- Chemical composition control.
- Inclusion cleanliness.
- Hydrogen control.
- Macro and microstructure evaluation.
Project and Commissioning Support
- Participate in:
- FEED and detailed engineering reviews.
- HAZOP studies.
- FAT and SAT activities.
- Equipment acceptance testing.
- Commissioning and start-up activities.
- Ramp-up optimization.
- Review process guarantees and vendor documentation.
- Support technology transfer and implementation of new equipment and systems
Data Analytics and Digitalization
- Analyze process data using statistical tools and process historians.
- Develop KPIs and dashboards for:
- Yield.
- Recovery.
- Furnace efficiency.
- Energy intensity.
- Scrap utilization.
- Product quality.
- Support Industryinitiatives and digital transformation programs.
Minimum Qualifications, Experience and Competencies
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in:
- Metallurgical Engineering.
- Materials Engineering.
- Chemical Engineering.
- Mechanical Engineering.
- Master’s degree is preferred.
Minimum Experience:
- 10–15 years of experience in aluminum production and recycling.
Including experience in:
- Secondary aluminum recycling plants.
- Casthouse operations.
- Melting and holding furnaces.
- Billet and slab casting.
- Process engineering and methodology development.
- Commissioning and start-up projects.
- Continuous improvement and operational excellence programs.
Experience with major aluminum producers such as:
- ALBA.
- Hydro.
- Novelis.
- Rio Tinto.
- Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA).
is highly desirable.
MAADEN High-Performance Competencies:
- Ethical Leadership
- Technical Expertise
- Safety Leadership
- Team Leadership and Development
- Communication and Collaboration
- Quality Focus
Skills:
- Aluminum metallurgy.
- Scrap classifications and recycling technologies.
- Furnace technologies and combustion systems.
- Alloy chemistry and metal treatment.
- Billet and slab casting processes.
- Metal recovery and yield optimization.
- Dross and salt slag management.
- Process control systems and automation.
- Statistical process analysis.
- Root cause analysis methodologies.
- Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.
- Operational Excellence principles.
- ISO 9001 and quality systems.
- Environmental and sustainability requirements.
