Senior Chemist

Lotus (Africa) Limited

Senior Chemist

Lotus Africa seeks to recruit a suitably qualified and motivated individual to the post of a Senior Chemist at Kayelekera Uranium Mine in Karonga.

JOB PURPOSE:

  • The Senior Chemist provides analytical chemistry leadership and technical ownership of all laboratory operations supporting the gold processing plant, spanning the comminution, pre-leach, leach and resin-in-pulp (RIP), elution, precipitation, calcining and packaging, tailings and acid plant circuits. The incumbent is accountable for the integrity, accuracy, traceability and timeliness of analytical data that informs process control, metallurgical accounting, product dispatch and environmental compliance.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Direct the routine analytical workload (fire assay for Au, AAS/ICP-OES for solution and solids assays, screen fire assay, gravimetric finish, carbon-on-pulp assays, moisture, pH, EC, free and total cyanide, loaded and barren carbon) ensuring turnaround times meet plant operating requirements.
  • Design, implement and maintain the laboratory QA/QC programme aligned with ISO/IEC 17025 principles, including scheduled insertion of certified reference materials (CRMs), blanks, duplicates and repeats.
  • Develop, validate, document and control all analytical methods and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
  • Own the calibration, verification and preventive maintenance schedules for all analytical instruments (AAS, ICP-OES where fitted, XRF, fire-assay furnaces, cupel furnaces, analytical balances, auto-titrators, pH/ORP meters, drying ovens, fume hoods, local exhaust ventilation).
  • Partner with the Metallurgy team on sampling protocols, head-grade determination, in-circuit inventory sampling and monthly mass/metal balance reconciliation.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE  

Minimum (Essential)

  • BSc (Honours) in Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry or Metallurgical Chemistry from a recognised institution.
  • A minimum of eight (8) years’ post-graduate experience in a commercial or mine-site analytical laboratory.
  • At least three (3) years in a senior chemist or laboratory supervisory role within a gold or precious-metals operation.
  • Demonstrated expertise in classical and instrumental fire assay (gravimetric and AAS finish) and in atomic absorption spectroscopy.
  • Hands-on implementation experience of an ISO/IEC 17025 quality system.
  • Demonstrated capability in QA/QC programme design, measurement uncertainty estimation and statistical process control.

Preferred  

  • MSc in Analytical Chemistry, Geochemistry or Extractive Metallurgy.
  • Chartered Chemist or equivalent registration with a recognised professional body (e.g. RSC, SACNASP, SAIMM).
  • Experience commissioning or re-commissioning a greenfield or brownfield mine-site laboratory.
  • Familiarity with the International Cyanide Management Code auditing protocol.
  • LIMS super-user experience (e.g. LabWare, LIMS-Plus, LabVantage).
  • Prior experience working in Southern or Sub-Saharan Africa in a mentoring or knowledge-transfer capacity.

Technical Competencies

  • Fire assay theory and practice lead-oxide collection, flux chemistry, cupellation, parting and gravimetric or AAS finish.
  • Gold solution chemistry: cyanide leaching, carbon adsorption (CIP/CIL/RIP), elution, electrowinning and smelting.
  • Atomic and molecular spectroscopy: AAS (flame, graphite furnace, hydride), ICP-OES, XRF and UV-Vis.
  • Classical techniques: gravimetry, potentiometric and colorimetric titration, ionselective electrodes.
  • Sampling theory: Pierre Gy’s theory of sampling and sub-sampling error minimisation.
  • Statistics: statistical process control, measurement-uncertainty budgets, proficiencytesting interpretation (z-scores).
  • Data systems: LIMS configuration, validation and data-integrity principles (ALCOA+).
  • Chemical safety: hazardous-reagent handling, chemical incompatibility, emergency response, spill containment.

How to apply

Interested applicants should submit an application, copies of certificates, and a CV with contact details for at least three professional referees to lal.jobs@lotusmalawi.com or submit by hand at Lotus Africa Limited offices at Kayelekera Mine. Applicants must include their name and the position they are applying for in the title of all documents.

The deadline for receiving applications is May 8, 2026. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Lotus Africa is an equal opportunity employer; therefore, women are encouraged to apply.