Environmental Engineering Lead, Capital Projects
Cyclic Materials™ is building a resilient circular supply chain for rare earth elements and other critical materials. Through our proprietary MagCycle℠ and REEPure℠ processes, we recover rare earths from end-of-life products and transform them into high purity materials used in the production of permanent magnets. These materials are critical to the modern economy, including the production of electric vehicles, electronics, AI infrastructure, wind turbines, defense, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
Founded in 2021, Cyclic Materials has rapidly progressed from technology development to commercialization. We currently operate facilities in Ontario and Arizona, with a new expansion underway in South Carolina. Backed by US$75 million in Series C financing led by T. Rowe Price, alongside strategic investors including Microsoft, Amazon, Hitachi Ventures, BMW i Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion fund, Energy Impact Partners, ArcTern Ventures, and Fifth Wall, we are scaling to meet growing global demand for a secure and sustainable rare earth supply.
We have established commercial partnerships with global industry leaders such as Solvay, Vattenfall, Lime, and VACUUMSCHMELZE, enabling the deployment of recycled rare earth materials into real world supply chains. In 2025, Cyclic Materials was named one of the Top 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch by MIT Technology Review.
We are growing quickly and building the industrial backbone required for a circular rare earth economy. Joining Cyclic Materials means working on complex and exciting challenges at scale, alongside a team committed to executing and delivering measurable impact. If you are motivated by building critical infrastructure and advancing the circular economy, join us and help accelerate the growth of rare earth recycling.
Position Summary
The Environmental Engineering Lead operates within an Owner’s Team model as the internal Subject Matter Expert (SME), responsible for defining environmental engineering requirements and overseeing external design partners. This role focuses on reviewing and validating externally developed designs to ensure they are fit for purpose, meet specifications, and align with regulatory and sustainability standards, while liaising with and holding external teams accountable for quality and performance. The Lead provides final technical review and sign-off, bringing deep expertise and experience to the role.
This role is a key member of the owner’s engineering team and is accountable for ensuring that environmental requirements are identified early, incorporated into project development, and effectively managed through design, permitting, construction, and start-up. The Environmental Engineering Lead will work closely with internal project engineers and external engineering, EP, EPC, EPCM, environmental consultants, and regulatory stakeholders to develop fit-for-purpose environmental strategies and project solutions that support advancement through FEL-2 FEL-3, FEL-4, detailed engineering, construction, commissioning, and handover.
The successful candidate will provide technical leadership across environmental permitting, air emissions, water and wastewater management, waste management, contaminated sites, environmental compliance, and environmental risk management. This role also supports engineering governance, site selection, design reviews, permitting strategy, and integration of environmental requirements into project execution planning. This may also include overseeing and/or participating in all HAZOPS and subject matter regulatory reviews.
Key Responsibilities
$120,000 - $150,000 CAD
Why You Will Love Cyclic Materials
As an Equal Opportunity employer, Cyclic Materials is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all individuals have an opportunity to succeed. If you require accommodation at any stage of the interview process, please email HumanResources@cyclicmaterials.earth. Applicants for employment in the Canada and US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States or Canada and with Cyclic Materials (i.e., H1-B visa, F-1 visa (OPT), TN, L1-A visa or any other non-immigrant status).
To all applicants, your interest and effort are sincerely appreciated. While we thank everyone for their application, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Founded in 2021, Cyclic Materials has rapidly progressed from technology development to commercialization. We currently operate facilities in Ontario and Arizona, with a new expansion underway in South Carolina. Backed by US$75 million in Series C financing led by T. Rowe Price, alongside strategic investors including Microsoft, Amazon, Hitachi Ventures, BMW i Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion fund, Energy Impact Partners, ArcTern Ventures, and Fifth Wall, we are scaling to meet growing global demand for a secure and sustainable rare earth supply.
We have established commercial partnerships with global industry leaders such as Solvay, Vattenfall, Lime, and VACUUMSCHMELZE, enabling the deployment of recycled rare earth materials into real world supply chains. In 2025, Cyclic Materials was named one of the Top 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch by MIT Technology Review.
We are growing quickly and building the industrial backbone required for a circular rare earth economy. Joining Cyclic Materials means working on complex and exciting challenges at scale, alongside a team committed to executing and delivering measurable impact. If you are motivated by building critical infrastructure and advancing the circular economy, join us and help accelerate the growth of rare earth recycling.
Position Summary
The Environmental Engineering Lead operates within an Owner’s Team model as the internal Subject Matter Expert (SME), responsible for defining environmental engineering requirements and overseeing external design partners. This role focuses on reviewing and validating externally developed designs to ensure they are fit for purpose, meet specifications, and align with regulatory and sustainability standards, while liaising with and holding external teams accountable for quality and performance. The Lead provides final technical review and sign-off, bringing deep expertise and experience to the role.
This role is a key member of the owner’s engineering team and is accountable for ensuring that environmental requirements are identified early, incorporated into project development, and effectively managed through design, permitting, construction, and start-up. The Environmental Engineering Lead will work closely with internal project engineers and external engineering, EP, EPC, EPCM, environmental consultants, and regulatory stakeholders to develop fit-for-purpose environmental strategies and project solutions that support advancement through FEL-2 FEL-3, FEL-4, detailed engineering, construction, commissioning, and handover.
The successful candidate will provide technical leadership across environmental permitting, air emissions, water and wastewater management, waste management, contaminated sites, environmental compliance, and environmental risk management. This role also supports engineering governance, site selection, design reviews, permitting strategy, and integration of environmental requirements into project execution planning. This may also include overseeing and/or participating in all HAZOPS and subject matter regulatory reviews.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead environmental engineering and environmental permitting activities for capital projects through FEL-2, FEL-3, and some FEL-4 execution planning.
- Serve as the environmental engineering lead within Cyclic’s owner’s team, ensuring internal and external deliverables meet project requirements, regulatory obligations, technical standards, and stage-gate expectations.
- Develop and maintain project environmental strategies, permitting plans, compliance requirements, and environmental design criteria to support project development and execution.
- Manage and review the work of external environmental consultants, engineering consultants, EP, EPC, EPCM and similar build partners, laboratories, and specialist advisors supporting environmental scope.
- Identify environmental risks, permitting requirements, and compliance obligations early in project development and ensure they are integrated into project scope, schedule, cost, and execution planning.
- Provide technical leadership across key environmental areas including air emissions, water balance and water management, wastewater treatment, stormwater, waste handling and disposal, hazardous materials, contaminated lands, noise, and environmental monitoring requirements.
- Support site selection, due diligence, and environmental baseline assessment activities, including review of environmental constraints, permitting pathways, and project development risks.
- Coordinate environmental requirements and design interfaces with process, civil/structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and controls, project controls, procurement, construction, and operations teams.
- Ensure environmental requirements are embedded into engineering design packages, layouts, equipment selection, operating philosophies, and project execution plans.
- Support development of environmental sections of project studies, permit applications, regulatory submissions, environmental management plans, and supporting technical documentation.
- Participate in and lead environmental input into design reviews, HAZOPs, value engineering workshops, constructability reviews, project risk assessments, and management of change processes.
- Support development of project cost estimates and schedules by identifying environmental scope, permitting timelines, compliance requirements, mitigation measures, and execution risks.
- Provide technical support for interactions with regulatory agencies, Indigenous communities, local stakeholders, and internal leadership on environmental matters.
- Support contractor and consultant selection, scope development, bid reviews, and technical evaluations for environmental work packages.
- Oversee environmental design change management and ensure proposed changes are evaluated for regulatory, technical, cost, schedule, and operational impacts.
- Provide environmental support during construction, including review of contractor environmental plans, field issues, permit compliance, monitoring requirements, and resolution of non-conformances.
- Support commissioning, start-up, and handover activities by ensuring environmental systems, permit conditions, monitoring plans, and compliance obligations are in place for operations.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of environmental standards, engineering workflows, and project delivery practices across the capital projects organization.
- Mentor junior and intermediate engineers and provide technical guidance to internal team members.
- Perform other related duties as required.
- Participate in leading the environmental engineering project engineering team through project budget development, scope of work, WBS, schedule, commissioning plan, and estimating activities.
- Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or related engineering discipline required.
- Professional Engineer designation required.
- Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in environmental engineering, permitting, and compliance within industrial, process plant, mining, metals, chemical, recycling, clean technology, or other heavy industrial environments.
- Demonstrated experience supporting medium- to large-scale capital projects through study phases, design development, permitting, and execution.
- Experience working on owner’s teams and/or with EPCM firms on industrial capital projects.
- Strong experience in front-end engineering, feasibility studies, environmental due diligence, environmental assessment, permitting strategy, and execution support.
- Experience with construction support, commissioning, start-up, and operational readiness is strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with applicable environmental legislation, regulatory frameworks, permits, and compliance requirements relevant to industrial facilities.
- Experience reviewing consultant reports, regulatory submissions, and technical studies associated with environmental scope.
- Strong knowledge of environmental engineering principles and environmental management practices for industrial and process plant facilities.
- Strong understanding of environmental permitting, environmental compliance, and integration of environmental requirements into project design and delivery.
- Knowledge of air emissions control, water and wastewater systems, waste management, contaminated site management, and environmental monitoring requirements.
- Ability to assess technical deliverables for completeness, regulatory alignment, practicality, and fit-for-purpose application.
- Strong understanding of project delivery processes, stage-gate development, engineering assurance, and management of environmental and execution risk.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to evaluate technical trade-offs and support sound engineering decisions.
- Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities across concurrent projects.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear technical and regulatory documentation.
- Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across internal teams, external consultants, contractors, regulators, and community stakeholders.
- Demonstrated leadership capability, including mentoring, coaching, and technical guidance of other engineers.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and familiarity with engineering document management and project systems.
- Ability to be flexible, agile, and able to pivot quickly in work execution approaches and delivery.
- Expertise in at least one of the following disciplines: hydrometallurgical, chemical processing, electrical, civil/structural, mechanical engineering, and/or recycling, critical minerals, metals refining, or similarly complex process-plant environments.
- Experience supporting environmental assessment processes, permit applications, and regulatory approvals for new industrial developments.
- Experience with water treatment, wastewater treatment, emissions control systems, solid and hazardous waste management, and environmental compliance programs.
- Experience in brownfield and greenfield industrial project development.
- Experience working in start up organizations that focus on design optimization and refinement.
- Experience conducting targeted trade-off studies for the purpose of establishing critical engineering design criteria to retrofit existing plants and design new plants.
- Familiarity with North American codes, standards, and industrial permitting environments.
$120,000 - $150,000 CAD
Why You Will Love Cyclic Materials
- At Cyclic Materials, we're dedicated to supporting our workforce on their unique career journey
- We offer a competitive compensation package including Health and Dental coverage, RRSP contributions and a generous paid time off program that lets you recharge
- We value diversity and are committed to maintaining a workplace where everyone is respected and recognized for their contributions
As an Equal Opportunity employer, Cyclic Materials is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all individuals have an opportunity to succeed. If you require accommodation at any stage of the interview process, please email HumanResources@cyclicmaterials.earth. Applicants for employment in the Canada and US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States or Canada and with Cyclic Materials (i.e., H1-B visa, F-1 visa (OPT), TN, L1-A visa or any other non-immigrant status).
To all applicants, your interest and effort are sincerely appreciated. While we thank everyone for their application, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.