Principal Specialist International R&D Scientist📣 Job Ad

About Ma'aden and the Role

Ma'aden, established in 1997, is one of the world's fastest-growing mining companies and the largest multi-commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East. We are leading the development of the mining industry to become a key pillar of Saudi Arabia’s economy. We are seeking a Principal Specialist, International R&D Scientist to join our team in Riyadh. This full-time position is central to our global innovation strategy, focusing on identifying and integrating breakthrough technologies across our operations.

Role Purpose and Impact

The Principal Specialist, International R&D Scientist will develop and manage Ma'aden's global innovation ecosystem. This involves building strategic relationships with leading universities, startups, mining laboratories, technology providers, research institutes, and venture ecosystems worldwide. The role is responsible for identifying breakthrough technologies globally, establishing collaborative partnerships, and accelerating the evaluation, demonstration, and deployment of technologies that create measurable business value across Ma'aden's operations. This position serves as Ma'aden's global interface for innovation, ensuring continuous access to emerging technologies that improve productivity, sustainability, resource recovery, and operational competitiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with leading international universities, mining laboratories, technology providers, startups, mining companies, venture funds, and research organizations.
• Establish long-term collaboration agreements, joint development programs, and technology demonstration partnerships.
• Represent Ma'aden within international innovation networks and strengthen the company's global technology presence.
• Sponsor the development of new technologies, methods, and solutions, ensuring alignment with business needs.
• Oversee the design, execution, and validation of experimental and pilot studies, ensuring research outputs are scalable and transferable to operational environments.
• Coordinate technical evaluations with internal business units and facilitate laboratory testing, pilot programs, demonstration projects, and industrial trials.
• Support the development of business cases for technology adoption and ensure successful transition from external innovation into operational deployment.
• Build and manage an international network of innovation partners, organizing executive technology visits and coordinating collaborative workshops.
• Maintain a global technology pipeline aligned with Ma'aden's strategic priorities, prioritizing opportunities based on business value and implementation readiness.
• Support the negotiation of collaboration agreements, NDAs, MOUs, JDAs, and technology licensing, working closely with Legal, Procurement, IP, and Business Units.

Technology Scouting and Evaluation Focus

A key aspect of this role involves continuously scouting emerging technologies and identifying opportunities. This includes assessing technology maturity, technical readiness, commercial potential, scalability, IP position, and strategic fit for Ma'aden. Specific areas of focus include:

• Mining and mineral processing, material science, and waste valorization.
• Gold recovery from historical tailings, modular processing plants, and small-footprint processing technologies.
• Fast and low-cost exploration, including AI-enabled exploration, geophysics, and multi-sensor drone technologies.
• Ore sorting, water reduction and reuse, decarbonization, critical minerals recovery, and process intensification.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates for this position should possess a strong background in R&D and innovation management, coupled with a deep understanding of relevant industrial processes. A minimum of 10 years of experience in a related field is required, demonstrating a proven track record in technology scouting, partnership development, and the successful deployment of advanced solutions.

Application Information

If you meet the qualifications and are ready to contribute to Ma'aden's innovation leadership, we encourage you to apply for this full-time role in Riyadh.