---
title: 'Lead Metallurgist / Mineral Processing Engineer (Middle East & North Africa) at Stratum AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-metallurgist-mineral-processing-engineer-middle-east-north-africa-stratum-y9cqjsqdxm42'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Lead Metallurgist / Mineral Processing Engineer (Middle East & North Africa) at Stratum AI

- **Company:** Stratum AI
- **Location:** Middle East & North Africa
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Posted:** 2025-05-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/stratum-ai/27148465-15f5-4af3-a0d7-750806a21df8

## Job description

We are searching for a high agency and highly experienced Lead Metallurgist / Mineral Processing Engineer to join our Technical Services team. We are looking for someone with familiarity of geometallurgy and some knowledge of resource modelling to oversee all aspects of mineral resource evaluation, including auditing of data analysis, geometallurgical block models and ensuring quality control. You will provide input into the development and implementation of the Stratum Machine Learning technology to ensure accurate and reliable geometallurgical models are generated. The role requires a proficient understanding of geometallurgical concepts for a variety of block models. Much of your day-to-day work will be focused on evaluating the clients existing kriging models, the newly generated Stratum models as well as liaising with the Business Development team to determine how our technology can add value to a client's mining operations. You will collaborate closely with our co-founders, Chief Geologist and Lead Resource Geologist to ensure Stratum’s goals are aligned. This is a remote-first position, with a preference for applicants based in Middle East & North Africa. ‍ StratumAI & the ML/AI Technical Services team StratumAI creates advanced geometallurgical and mineral resource block models  that empower operating mining companies to make smarter, more efficient decisions for mine planning and ore control. We using proprietary algorithms adapted for neural networks, to produce 3D models that are significantly more accurate than traditional Kriging models. This enable enhanced target drilling, blast hole optimisation, ore type categorisation and mineral processing routing / blending to optimise added value opportunities for the client. Our long-term vision is to build a ML/AI engine capable of modelling many of the critical decision within a mining operation. We are looking for highly competent  resource geologist to help make this vision a reality. ‍ Job Responsibilities

- Technical leadership:
- Lead an expanding metallurgical team, providing expertise on mineral processing methodologies, and ensuring the quality control of all geometallurgical models.
- Geometallurgy modeling:
- Audit the clients geometallurgy (Kriging) models and Stratum’s newly generated Stratum models.
- Data analysis:
- Assist in the audit and analysis of complex mine site databases, focussed on the measured geometallurgical parameters and report on potential issues with the data and the client’s conclusion.
- Mine planning and Mineral Processing:
- Collaborating with Stratum’s ML engineers and the clients mine planners and metallurgists / Mineral process engineers to ensure optimisation of the models.
- Business Development:
- Provide input technical input to enhance the sales team’s capabilities.
- Audit and Quality control:
- Implementing rigorous audit and quality control procedures for clients data, new collection procedure (if required) and the Stratum resource models to ensure model accuracy and reliability.
- Regulatory compliance:
- Ensuring adherence to all relevant mining regulations regarding ore reserve reporting and disclosure.
- Project reporting:
- Assist in the preparation of technical reports and presentations.
- Mentorship and training:
- Providing guidance and training to more junior metallurgists / mineral process engineers and geometallurgists within the developing team.

‍ Job Requirements

- Tertiary qualification in Metallurgy or Mineral Process Engineering.
- A broad understanding of Mineral Process Engineering with experience with mill circuits (comminution), flotation and heap leach (copper or gold) operations,
- Extensive experience experience in mineral processing including evaluation of third party operations (>20years). working in both open pit and underground mining environments.
- Extensive knowledge of copper and gold deposit types; ideally including one or more of  ferrous, phosphate and critical metal / mineral deposits types in Australia or Canada.
- An understanding of geometallurgy models with respect to orebody / deposit knowledge.
- Detailed knowledge / interest in machine learning (ML) and data sciences as applied to the mineral processing sector of the mining industry.
- Knowledge of mineral resource modelling software platforms and data analysis tools.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills to convey complex geometallurgical concepts to diverse audiences.
- Familiarity with mining regulations and reporting standards in Australia (JORC) and Canada (NI43-101).
- Leadership qualities to manage a growing team of metallurgists / mineral processing engineers.
- An open motor vehicle driving licence.
- No criminal convictions that will restrict international travel; e.g. ESTA (US) & eTA (Canada).
- Ability and willingness to travel up to 20% of the time.
- Ability to work in remote mine sites with significant diversity.
- No restrictions on the wearing of standard mine PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

‍

## Nice To Have

- CP/QP for multiple copper or gold deposit types commonly found in Australia or Canada.
- Technical proficiency in another language.
- Worked for a start-up or mining consultancy group.

‍

## About Stratum

We're Stratum, a mining software company with machine learning models as our core product. Our 3D maps predict how gold, silver, copper, etc. are distributed (and how much!) using only small amounts of data, unconventional data processing, and proprietary ML protocols. Our work directly affects how much money a mine is going to make next week/month/year while reducing waste/cost. We're supported by Founders Fund, Aramco, Builders VC, Y Combinator, and Ilya Sutskever, former Chief Scientist at OpenAI, who have recognized the potential of our industry-disrupting technology.

Our long-term vision is to build a massive AI engine capable of making every decision in a mining operation, down to moving individual rocks. If you’re an exceptional engineer interested to helping make this vision a reality we look forward to reviewing your application and working together. ‍ ‍

## About Stratum AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Stratum AI applies deep-tech AI and machine learning to improve decision-making in mining operations by creating more accurate resource, grade control, geometallurgical, and geotechnical models.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- **Founded**: 2018
- **Founders**: Farzi Yusufali (Co-founder)

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Mining technology (MiningTech), Artificial Intelligence, Deep Tech
- Target customers: B2B enterprise — producing mines globally, including operations in North America, Latin America, and Australia
- Mission or purpose statement: "To help production-mines make better decisions by applying machine learning to existing geological and operational data" — extracting more value from the data they already have, throughout the life of a mine.

## Products & Services
- **SAIGE Technology Platform**: AI-driven resource modeling platform that creates high-density multivariate geostatistical models for gold, copper, and other minerals. It supports resource, grade control, geometallurgical, and geotechnical models, enabling dynamic reconciliation and error correction between plan and production.
- **Drill Targeting & Brownfield Expansion**: Uses AI to optimize drillhole spacing and improve confidence in brownfield exploration, reducing drilling costs.
- **Geometallurgical Modeling**: Predicts recovery, hardness, fines generation, and other processing-related parameters to optimize feed blending strategies.
- **Geotechnical Modeling**: Improves surface geotechnical characterization, identifies high-risk zones before instabilities occur, and integrates geotechnical drilling data with monitoring sensors and bench mapping.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available
- **Total Funding**: USD 125,000 (across 2 seed rounds — Pre-Seed in June 2019 and Seed in March 2020), with additional seed round in August 2020 with 4 investors
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Details on specific lead investors not publicly named; the company has completed at least 2 funding rounds
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 37.5% year-over-year; currently employs ~50 people. The team spans 5 countries (Canada, US, Chile, Peru, Australia). Proven results released via ASX filings showing: -58% in deviations, 10% yield gained, -41% waste produced, +6% CIL material, +20% high-grade stockpile grade, ~25% fewer drilling requirements.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary SAIGE Technology**: The world’s first AI mineral resource modeling company, using deep-tech AI for production-phase mines — a highly underserved, high-value niche.
- **End-to-End Deployment**: ML engineers work directly with mine teams, taking ownership from modeling through deployment in real projects.
- **Proven Economic Impact**: Delivers measurable results (e.g., 10% yield gain, -41% waste reduction, -58% deviation reduction) as verified by ASX public filings.
- **Multivariate Modeling**: Goes beyond grade to model hardness, fines generation, and other processing parameters — a key differentiator in the industry.

## Strategic Focus
- Continue scaling production-mine deployments globally, particularly in gold and copper.
- Expand geometallurgical and geotechnical modeling capabilities to reduce operational risk.
- Deepen presence in brownfield exploration, where operational decisions have the greatest economic impact.
- Grow team across North America, Latin America, and Australia with a focus on applied ML engineers, geologists, and metallurgists.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven**: Opportunity to directly improve mining efficiency, reduce waste (up to 41%), and have a measurable environmental impact — not just build abstract models.
- **Applied ML at Scale**: Engineers work on end-to-end systems that go from research to production deployment in real mines, with ownership and autonomy.
- **Culture**: Values ownership, autonomy, and practical problem-solving. Small team (~50 people) with a flat structure.
- **Remote/Hybrid**: Hybrid workspace (employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work); many roles are fully remote across Canada, Australia, Chile, and Peru.
- **Global Reach**: Work with mines and teams across 10 countries and 4 offices (Toronto, plus teams in Latin America and Australia).
- **Fast-Growing**: 37.5% employee growth YoY, with recent roles posted for MLOps engineers, forward-deployed ML engineers, full stack engineers, 3D visualization developers, and director of business development.

## Sources
1. [stratum.ai](https://www.stratum.ai/)
2. [stratum.gs (About)](https://stratum.gs/about)
3. [stratum.gs (Careers)](https://stratum.gs/careers)
4. [Built In](https://builtin.com/company/stratum-ai)
5. [LinkedIn](https://ca.linkedin.com/company/stratumai)
6. [Jobs.ashbyhq.com/stratum-ai](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/stratum-ai)

## Other roles at Stratum AI

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- [Brand and Marketing Officer (contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/brand-and-marketing-officer-contract-stratum-ai-canada-mbxkma3w4v34) — Canada
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- [3D Product Interface Designer (Contractor)](https://feeny.ai/job/3d-product-interface-designer-contractor-stratum-ai-canada-fqaa3tfdxvpd) — Canada
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- [Director, Business Development (Australia)](https://feeny.ai/job/director-business-development-australia-stratum-ai-australia-vxmwjx6w1ddt) — Australia
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- [Forward Deployed Machine Learning Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/forward-deployed-machine-learning-engineer-stratum-ai-canada-dkdsc2dtknsx) — Canada
- [Resource Geologist](https://feeny.ai/job/resource-geologist-stratum-ai-australia-fmrscn800zcv) — Australia