Senior Sampling, Assay & Mineral QA/QC Lead — GCM-8

Tucson, AZ

85701 — Tucson, Arizona
Remote / Project-Based | International Travel as Required

Axyde Analytics is seeking a senior specialist with substantial, directly demonstrated experience designing, reviewing and defending sampling, assay and mineral-quality-control programs for mining, mineral-processing, refining or critical-material projects.

THIS IS A NARROW TECHNICAL-SPECIALIST SEARCH. DO NOT SUBMIT A GENERAL GEOLOGY, LABORATORY, MINING OR QUALITY RÉSUMÉ UNLESS IT CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES DEPTH IN MINERAL SAMPLING, ASSAY VALIDATION AND QA/QC LEADERSHIP. BREADTH ALONE WILL NOT BE REWARDED.

Opportunity

Axyde is assembling a multidisciplinary expert cadre for anticipated U.S. Trade and Development Agency assignments involving international critical-minerals projects. Assignments may require independent evaluation of whether geological, metallurgical and product-quality evidence is sufficiently representative, accurate, traceable and reliable to support project-scoping, investment-readiness and implementation decisions.

This specialist may evaluate evidence from exploration through final product, including drill core and chips, bulk samples, stockpiles, plant feed, concentrates, intermediate products, refined materials, tailings, water and customer-qualification samples.

Potential Responsibilities

Design or independently review fit-for-purpose sampling and QA/QC plans.
Evaluate sample representativeness, heterogeneity, segregation, moisture, contamination and preparation risks.
Review drilling, core handling, sample numbering, custody seals, storage, transport and chain-of-custody controls.
Assess crushing, splitting, pulverization, digestion, fusion and other sample-preparation procedures.
Evaluate laboratory selection, ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, analytical methods, detection limits, measurement uncertainty and matrix-specific limitations.
Review analytical methods such as ICP-MS, ICP-OES, XRF, XRD, fire assay, LECO analysis, particle-size analysis and mineralogical characterization where relevant.
Design or evaluate programs using certified reference materials, blanks, field duplicates, coarse duplicates, pulp duplicates, check assays, umpire laboratories and interlaboratory comparisons.
Analyze control charts, precision, accuracy, bias, contamination, drift, failures and corrective-action evidence.
Determine whether assay and testwork data are suitable for resource evaluation, process design, recovery assumptions, mass balance, product specifications, offtake discussions or financial modeling.
Identify data gaps and recommend confirmatory sampling, reanalysis, additional testwork or independent verification.
Develop concise, decision-grade findings, limitations, risk statements and recommendations.
Conduct independent technical review without relying solely on project-sponsor conclusions.
Participate in remote reviews, stakeholder discussions, laboratory or site visits and international travel when required.

Required Qualifications

Generally 10 or more years of directly relevant professional experience.
Demonstrated responsibility for mineral sampling, assay validation or mining/mineral-processing QA/QC programs.
Direct experience establishing or assessing blanks, standards, duplicates, check assays and chain-of-custody controls.
Ability to distinguish adequate evidence from incomplete, biased, nonrepresentative or methodologically unsuitable data.
Experience translating technical QA/QC findings into clear project risks and corrective actions.
Strong technical writing and ability to produce defensible English-language reports.
Ability to work independently while contributing to multidisciplinary project teams.
U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residence in the United States.
Potential availability within approximately 20 days of an assignment request.
Willingness and ability to travel internationally when an assignment requires it.

Particularly Relevant Experience

Critical minerals, battery materials, rare earths, graphite, lithium, uranium, base metals, precious metals or industrial minerals.
Exploration and resource-definition drilling.
Metallurgical testwork, pilot plants or operating processing facilities.
Concentrate, refined-product or customer-qualification specifications.
NI 43-101, JORC, SAMREC, ASTM, ISO or comparable technical standards.
Independent laboratory audits, umpire programs or technical due diligence.
Emerging-market projects and work involving incomplete records, multiple laboratories or inconsistent historical datasets.
Preparation or review of feasibility studies, technical reports, project-scoping products or investment-readiness assessments.

Application Instructions

Your résumé must show specific sampling, assay and mineral QA/QC responsibilities, including the materials, methods, controls and decisions involved. General statements concerning “quality,” “laboratory work,” “mineral processing” or “geology” are insufficient without supporting technical detail.

Please identify:

The mineral commodities and material forms you have evaluated.
The sampling and analytical methods within your direct experience.
Your experience with standards, blanks, duplicates, check assays and umpire laboratories.
Relevant international or emerging-market experience.
Your citizenship or lawful-permanent-resident status.
Your current location, availability and international-travel capacity.
Your anticipated hourly rate.

Engagement Terms

This is a contingent, project-based consulting opportunity. No employment, contract award, minimum workload or specific assignment is guaranteed. Participation remains subject to government contract award, assignment requirements, eligibility, availability, mutually acceptable compensation and execution of appropriate engagement documentation.

Anticipated compensation is generally $150–$300 per hour or a negotiated fixed price for a defined work package, depending on demonstrated expertise and assignment requirements.