Crossroads Guide

Requisition ID: 266556

• Relocation Authorized: None
• Telework Type: Part-Time Telework
• Work Location: Houston, TX

Project Overview:

Thacker Pass is the largest known lithium resource in the United States and the next large-scale lithium mine. The project has all permits required to commence construction, which is expected to start in 2023. Engineering design and procurement of long-lead equipment is underway, with early works being coordinated.

This project falls under the Lithium Americas umbrella of Lithium Nevada Corporation (LNC). Project site is located ~3 hours northeast of Reno at the southern end of the McDermitt Caldera in Humboldt County, NV, and ~25 miles from the Nevada-Oregon border (or ~1 hour northwest of Winnemucca, NV).

The Project will be developed as an open-pit mining operation using conventional, continuous mining equipment. Given the soft, clay nature of the deposit, minimal blasting and crushing is anticipated. The ore will then be processed in a leaching circuit using sulfuric acid to liberate the lithium from the claystone. Following the leaching process, the lithium bearing solution will be purified using crystallizers and reagents to produce battery-quality Li2CO3.

The Thacker Pass site has a flat and expansive terrain which allows for a very compact footprint and for future potential expansions.

Bechtel will have responsibility for the full EPC/EPCM scope.

Position Overview:

This position is for a Senior Geotechnical Engineering Specialist who will perform geotechnical activities for one or more projects, and originate/check analytical calculations and numerical modeling, specifications, and reports (including licensing documents). The successful candidate will report to the Engineering Group Supervisor on project and/or Geotechnical Engineering Manager, and is expected to be able to work independently. The successful candidate must have strong organizational and teamwork skills, proven problem-solving abilities, a can-do attitude, and the desire to innovate designs. The successful candidate will be expected to support multiple projects but may also be assigned to one project. The selected candidate will be expected to travel to job sites and other Bechtel and client offices in the U.S. and overseas for periods of time ranging from a few days to several months. In addition, it will be required that the candidate have excellent communication skills (both verbal and written) and embrace Bechtel’s diversity & inclusion, leadership, quality, and safety values.

Responsibilities:

This role will require site visits (in the U.S. and overseas) during geotechnical investigations, review of site and subsurface geotechnical investigations data, originate/review geotechnical engineering designs and specifications, and originate/review geotechnical studies for multiple projects in accordance with applicable procedures, codes, standards, and contract requirements. The work will require attending meetings and coordinating with other geotechnical engineers, other technical disciplines and/or client engineers in a team environment. Meetings could be held virtually, or in person in the U.S. and overseas. Responsibilities include the scope described below.

• Technical support of more junior geotechnical engineers
• Geotechnical design parameters for soil and/or rock supported foundations
• Bearing capacity and settlement calculations
• Soil liquefaction assessments and mitigation
• Ground improvement design and installation
• Pile design and installation
• Foundation settlement analysis
• Soil and/or rock slope stability analyses
• Soil and/or rock excavations support calculations
• Engineering specifications including earthworks, piling, ground improvement, soil and/or rock excavation support, etc.
• Technical memo, study, and report writing (including licensing documents)
• Vendor submittal review and integration into the design solution
• Budget and schedule tracking and quality compliance
• Coordination with other technical disciplines in planning and executing work as an integrated team

Qualifications and Skills:

Basic Qualifications:

• Grade 25: An M.S. degree in Geotechnical Engineering from an accredited university or college and minimum 5 years of progressive related experience, or a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering and minimum 3 years of progressive related experience
• Grade 26: An M.S. degree in Geotechnical Engineering from an accredited university or college and minimum 8 years of progressive related experience, or a Ph.D. in Geotechnical Engineering and minimum 6 years of progressive related experience
• Relevant experience includes, but is not limited to, performing site and subsurface geotechnical investigations, geotechnical engineering designs and specifications, and originating/reviewing geotechnical calculations and studies for power plants, infrastructure, industrial process facilities or complex building systems
• Hands-on experience with industry standard geotechnical software and computational tools
• Experience with licensing, design, and construction of commercial nuclear power plants
• Right to work in the U.S. without sponsorship
• Experience with Microsoft office programs, and other common computer programs
• Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written)
• Ability to utilize engineering and office automation tools effectively
• Knowledge of the application of geotechnical engineering design principles
• Professional Engineer in U.S. (Geotechnical or related Engineering)
• Knowledge of site and subsurface investigation, development of engineering properties of soil and rock, foundation design and analysis, foundation analysis under dynamic loads and earthwork
• Knowledge of pile installation and testing, numerical analysis using FEM and FDM, soil and/or rock slope stability and construction specifications
• Knowledge of industry codes and standards, including those related to the mining industry
• Demonstrable previous experience leading teams of geotechnical engineers working on a large industrial EPC project

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. degree in Geotechnical or related Engineering, from an accredited university
• Knowledge of soil liquefaction analysis and construction dewatering
• Experience working with procedures meeting quality assurance programs (including nuclear) and occupational health and safety

Shaping tomorrow together

Bechtel is one of the most respected global engineering, construction, and project management companies. Together with our customers, we deliver landmark projects that foster long-term progress and economic growth. Since 1898, we’ve completed more than 25,000 extraordinary projects across 160 countries on all seven continents. We operate through four global businesses: Infrastructure; Nuclear, Security & Environmental; Energy; and Mining & Metals. Our company and our culture are built on more than a century of leadership and a relentless adherence to our values, the core of which are safety, quality, ethics, and integrity. These values are what we believe, what we expect, what we deliver, and what we live.
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Bechtel is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, disability, citizenship status (except as authorized by law), protected veteran status, genetic information, and any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

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