Summary
Maaden is hiring a Principal Specialist, Innovation Translation in Riyadh to move promising technologies from scientific development toward industrial deployment. The role covers scale-up planning, techno-economic assessment, maturity governance, risk reduction, and integration into operating environments. It also provides technical leadership and builds partnerships with technology providers, research institutions, and other specialist organizations. Applicants need a relevant engineering or applied science bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years of related experience; an advanced technical degree is preferred.
The posting
As published on maaden.com.sa. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
Maaden, established in 1997, is one of the fastest-growing mining companies in the world and the largest multi-commodity mining and metals company in the Middle East. We are leading the development of the mining industry to become the third pillar of Saudi Arabia’s economy by building a world-class, unique, and fully integrated mining value chain. We are pleased to share an exciting opportunity for the below mentioned position. This role offers a chance to contribute to our ambitious growth and play a key part in shaping the future of mining in the Kingdom.
Why This Role Matters
The Principal Specialist – Innovation Translation bridges the gap between scientific discovery and industrial deployment by transforming high-potential technologies into scalable, investment-ready business solutions. The role ensures innovation opportunities are technically proven, economically viable, and operationally integrated before significant capital is committed to industrial implementation.
The role accelerates value creation by reducing technical uncertainty, validating performance, and establishing credible scale-up pathways that support confident investment decisions. Through rigorous techno-economic assessment and maturity governance, the role strengthens Ma’aden's ability to commercialize emerging technologies while minimizing delivery, operational, and investment risks.
Working across Innovation, PD&E, operations, and external technology ecosystems, the role enables successful first-of-a-kind (FOAK) deployments and ensures innovation investments are translated into practical industrial capabilities that support long-term competitiveness, growth, and operational excellence.
What You Will Deliver Technology Translation & Scale-Up
- Establish scalable pathways that convert scientific concepts into industrially deployable solutions.
- Build robust design bases, operating parameters, performance criteria, and scale-up frameworks that enable confident progression through maturity stages.
- Accelerate technology maturation while minimizing unnecessary cost, time, and development risk.
Techno-Economic Value Creation
- Develop and maintain integrated techno-economic models that quantify value, risk, and investment attractiveness.
- Strengthen investment decisions by providing clear assessments of economic viability, performance assumptions, and critical value drivers.
- Enable evidence-based prioritization through continuous refinement of business cases and value realization forecasts.
Maturity Governance & Risk Reduction
- Establish structured maturity assessment frameworks that guide progression from pilot validation to industrial deployment.
- Reduce technical and commercial uncertainty through disciplined experimentation, testing, and readiness reviews.
- Provide objective recommendations on progression, redesign, partnership, acceleration, or termination of innovation opportunities.
Industrial Integration & Deployment Readiness
- Define technology integration requirements across process, operational, infrastructure, maintenance, and control environments.
- Ensure technologies are prepared for successful industrial adoption through robust engineering-ready design information and handover packages.
- Safeguard validated technology intent throughout engineering, commissioning, and FOAK deployment activities.
Strategic Technical Leadership
- Provide expert technical leadership that strengthens decision quality across innovation programs and technology investments.
- Challenge assumptions, validate technical claims, and apply rigorous scientific and engineering evaluation to complex opportunities.
- Embed fact-based decision-making, technical discipline, and continuous learning across the innovation portfolio.
Ecosystem Development & Knowledge Transfer
- Build high-value partnerships with technology providers, research institutions, OEMs, and specialist organizations.
- Accelerate technology development by leveraging external expertise and innovation ecosystems.
- Capture and transfer scale-up knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices across innovation initiatives.
What Success Looks Like
- Innovation concepts progress through maturity stages based on clear evidence, validated performance, and quantified value.
- Technology opportunities demonstrate reduced technical uncertainty and stronger investment readiness.
- Scale-up pathways and industrial design bases are established with confidence and traceability.
- FOAK deployments transition successfully from innovation into industrial execution environments.
- Technology investment decisions are supported by credible techno-economic analysis and risk assessments.
- Innovation projects deliver measurable business value while reducing implementation and operational risks.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Mineral Processing, Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering, or a closely related applied science discipline.
- Advanced technical degree is strongly preferred.
Experience
- 10+ years of experience in technology development, industrial innovation, process engineering, R&D scale-up, or project development environments.
- Experience leading pilot, demonstration, and/or first industrial deployment initiatives.
- Proven experience translating laboratory or pilot concepts into industrial-scale applications and operating environments.
- Experience within mining, metallurgy, mineral processing, extractive technologies, industrial processing, or other asset-intensive sectors.
Skills That Matter Functional Expertise
- Technology Translation & Commercialization
- Industrial Scale-Up Methodologies
- Process Engineering & Process Design
- Techno-Economic Analysis
- Technology Readiness & Maturity Management
- First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Deployment
Business & Delivery
- Investment Evaluation & Business Case Development
- Risk & Uncertainty Management
- Value Realization Assessment
- Strategic Decision Support
- Systems Thinking
- Portfolio Maturity Governance
People & Collaboration
- Technical Leadership
- Cross-Functional Influence
- Stakeholder Engagement
- External Partnership Management
- Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
- Knowledge Transfer & Capability Building
Benefits
1. Career Growth
2. Competitive Salaries
3. Comprehensive Package
4. Inclusive Work Environment
5. Work-Life Balance
6. Employee wellness