Lithium Refining Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Looking to move beyond traditional engineering and into real operational impact? 

RHI Magnesita is hiring Manufacturing Engineers to join our Operations Leadership Track, designed for engineers who want to apply technical expertise on the plant floor while building toward plant leadership. 

This role is ideal for engineers with 3-4 years of experience in manufacturing or heavy industry who want to expand beyond analysis and into execution, leadership, and plant performance. 

In this role, you will apply engineering principles directly to live manufacturing operations, working closely with production teams to improve performance, reliability, and safety. 

You will: 

• Analyze production systems to identify inefficiencies and performance gaps  

• Lead root-cause analysis and implement corrective actions  

• Use data to improve throughput, reduce waste, and optimize workflows  

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across plant operations  

• Partner with operations and maintenance teams to improve equipment reliability  

• Support planning and scheduling to optimize labor, materials, and equipment  

• Translate plant performance data into actionable improvements  

• Lead cross-functional problem-solving efforts on the plant floor  

• Champion safety through process improvements and operational discipline  

• 3-4 years of experience in manufacturing, process engineering, or operations engineering  

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, or related)  preferred 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills  

• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies  

• Ability to perform root-cause analysis and implement solutions  

• Interest in growing into plant or operations leadership roles  

• Strong communication and collaboration skills  

This is not a traditional engineering role. 

You won't be working only on designs or isolated projects-you'll be: 

• Embedded in plant operations  

• Driving real-time performance improvements  

• Leading initiatives that impact production, safety, and cost  

• Building the foundation for plant leadership  

• Hammond, IN 

• York, PA 

• East Canton, OH 

Relocation within the US is expected as part of long-term career growth. 

RHI Magnesita is the leading global supplier of high-grade refractory products, systems and solutions which are critical for high-temperature processes in a wide range of industries. Serving customers around the world, RHI Magnesita has more than 20,000 employees in 76 main production sites (including recycling facilities), 16 raw material sitesand more than 70 sales offices.