Plant Mechanical Engineer

About Jerritt Canyon

The Jerritt Canyon deposit was discovered in 1972, and the first gold production from the property occurred in 1981. The Jerritt Canyon property contains 30,821 hectares of mining claims located in the mining-friendly state of Nevada. First Majestic acquired the Jerritt Canyon Gold Mine from Sprott Mining Inc. on April 30, 2021. In May 2023, operations were suspended to prioritize exploration and technical studies. Jerritt Canyon is now entering a new phase of evaluation and planning, requiring substantial technical support to advance the work necessary for a potential future restart of operations.

The Opportunity

The Plant Mechanical Engineer is responsible for providing mechanical engineering and design expertise for the restart of the Jerritt Canyon processing facility, including new capital installations and the extensive refurbishment of existing systems. Once the plant is operating, the role shifts to plant expansion, optimization, continuous improvement, safety, and efficiency of mechanical systems across crushing, milling, roasting, leaching, reagents, and associated plant infrastructure. This position works alongside the site Reliability team, which owns maintenance strategy for existing equipment to support Process Operations and other stakeholders as needed.

The successful candidate will work closely with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Electrical/Instrumentation, Projects, and Engineering teams, as well as the owner's engineer, contractors, and vendors, to translate process requirements into sound mechanical designs, deliver capital and refurbishment scopes, and ensure mechanical systems are designed, installed, and operated in accordance with applicable safety, regulatory, and industry standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide mechanical engineering oversight of the owner's engineer and contractors for the new installation and refurbishment efforts of the crushing, milling, roasting, leaching, reagents and ancillary systems, along with the oxygen plant, tailing management, and other supporting infrastructure.
• Work closely with process engineers, metallurgists and operations teams to translate process needs into practical mechanical designs and manage vendor procurement and fabrication.
• Develop engineering calculations, equipment specifications, technical reports, scopes of work, and design documentation.
• Develop mechanical design documentation, such as general arrangement and layout drawings, equipment specifications, and mechanical input to P&IDs, while ensuring adherence to health, safety, and environmental standards.
• Develop technical scopes and specifications for mechanical equipment and engineering services.
• Review mechanical designs, drawings, vendor documentation, and engineering deliverables.
• Review contractor and vendor proposals and provide technical recommendations.
• Support equipment selection, sizing, and specification.
• Assess equipment condition and develop recommendations for repair, refurbishment, replacement, or redesign.
• Lead or support Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) for new and modified designs, and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) where design deficiencies are identified.
• Ensure engineering solutions consider safety, maintainability, lifecycle cost, operability, and production requirements.
• Participate in design reviews, constructability reviews, factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, and commissioning activities.
• Assist in operational readiness efforts including SOP and training module development, risk assessments and HAZOP workshops.
• Define maintainability, access, critical spares, and equipment standards for new and refurbished equipment, and support handover to Maintenance and Reliability.
• Support management of mechanical engineering changes and ensure appropriate technical documentation is maintained.
• Analyze equipment failure data and maintenance history to identify recurring problems and improvement opportunities.
• Lead or support Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and reliability improvement initiatives.
• Develop and optimize preventive and predictive maintenance strategies for critical mechanical assets.
• Support development of maintenance strategies, job plans, spare-parts requirements, and equipment standards.
• Provide day-to-day mechanical engineering support to processing facilities and fixed-plant operations.
• Troubleshoot mechanical equipment failures and develop practical, cost-effective engineering solutions.
• Provide engineering support for crushers, feeders, conveyors, roasters, pumps, compressors, gearboxes, mills, agitators, thickeners, tanks and piping, material handling systems, and other fixed-plant mechanical equipment.
• Participate in equipment inspections, condition assessments, and root-cause failure investigations.
• Identify mechanical integrity risks and recommend corrective and preventative actions.
• Support feasibility studies, capital projects, plant upgrades, and expansion projects from concept through commissioning.
• Provide technical guidance for modifications, upgrades, replacements, and plant improvement projects.
• Assist other departments in fixed plant projects, such as backfill batch plants, as needed.

The above duties and responsibilities represent the nature and level of work assigned and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline.
• Professional engineering registration or eligibility for registration is preferred
• 3+ years of mechanical engineering experience, preferably within mineral processing, or a similar asset-intensive environment.
• Demonstrated experience supporting fixed-plant mechanical equipment and industrial processing systems.
• Experience with equipment such as crushers, conveyors, screens, pumps, mills, feeders, gearboxes, material handling systems, and roasting, leaching, or other gold recovery circuits.
• Experience developing engineering scopes, specifications, calculations, reports, and technical recommendations.
• Working knowledge of applicable mechanical design codes and standards (e.g., ASME, API, AISC, CEMA) and MSHA regulations.
• Demonstrated experience delivering capital projects, plant refurbishments, or restarts through design, procurement, construction, and commissioning, including oversight of engineering consultants and contractor
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex mechanical problems and develop practical solutions.
• Experience working in an operational environment with a strong focus on safety and production.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (particularly Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint). Experience with Microsoft Project or Primavera is beneficial.
• Proficiency in CAD software (e.g., AutoCAD, Inventor, or SolidWorks) and experience reviewing 3D plant models (e.g., Navisworks).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with personnel at all levels.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunities to employees and applicants in accordance with all applicable laws.