Plant II Manager

We are building Plant II from the ground up, and we need a leader who treats it as their own. Reporting directly to the CEO, this role is for someone who is energized by building, not just maintaining; who moves fast without cutting corners on safety; and who brings a positive, can-do attitude to the hard problems that come with scaling new technology. You take initiative. You see what needs to be done and do it before anyone asks. You show up prepared, with the work already moving. You communicate before you are asked. Leadership hears about problems, progress, and plans from you first, with a clear headline and a proposed fix. You own the numbers. Yield, purity, throughput, uptime, and cost are yours. When the answer is unknown, you say how and when you will find it. You solve problems fast. You get to the root cause with data, contain issues quickly, and standardize the fix, so it stays fixed. You thrive in a startup. Incomplete systems, changing priorities, and first-of-a-kind equipment motivate you. You build the processes that are missing. You lead from the floor. Your team sees you on the plant floor every day, and your standards, energy, and positivity set the tone. You are hungry. You want to build something that matters, and you measure yourself by results, not activity.

Lead Plant II through construction handover, commissioning, startup, and ramp-up, working with engineering, EPC firms, OEMs, and contractors. Build the operating foundation: SOPs, work instructions, shift structure, training and qualification, management of change, and operating dashboards. Recruit, hire, and develop the Plant II team, including supervisors, technicians, and operators. Own the safety culture. Ensure Plant II operates in line with MTI policies, permits, and all federal, state, and local environmental and safety requirements. Partner with HSE on risk assessments, management-of-change reviews, incident investigations, corrective actions, emergency response planning, and training. Direct daily operations, including production scheduling, startups and shutdowns, shift handoffs, operating discipline, and response to process upsets. Stop or correct unsafe work without delay and maintain a strong daily presence on the plant floor. Deliver performance Set and manage plant metrics for safety, throughput, yield, purity, equipment availability, downtime, operating cost, and schedule attainment. Maintain rigorous mass balances across the flowsheet and use them to find and close yield losses. Work with chemical and process engineers to stabilize unit operations and improve separation efficiency, recovery, purity, and yield. Use plant data and structured problem solving to identify root causes, close corrective actions, and standardize improvements. Develop production plans with engineering, product development, the laboratory, and commercial teams to meet customer and business priorities. Maintenance, reliability, and capital Build preventive and corrective maintenance programs for process equipment, utilities, controls, and facility systems. Manage maintenance priorities, contractor work, spare-parts strategy, and outage planning to reduce unplanned downtime. Support equipment selection, installation, commissioning, and capital projects, ensuring every change is documented, reviewed, and safely placed into service. Materials, vendors, and cost Manage feedstock, reagents, consumables, finished product, waste streams, and critical spare parts inventory. Oversee operating expenses and vendor performance, controlling cost while protecting safety, quality, and production. Communication and cross-functional leadership Give leadership clear, timely updates on performance, risks, resource needs, incidents, and recovery plans, leading with the headline and the plan. Run a regular operating rhythm of shift huddles and plant reviews built around visible metrics and owned actions. Support customer programs, audits, technical reviews, due diligence, and commercialization activities that require Plant II operating information. What Success Looks Like in Year One Plant II is commissioned and started up safely, on a schedule you helped set and delivered. A full team is hired, trained, and qualified, with clear roles and a daily operating rhythm. Yield, purity, and throughput are measured by lot, backed by closed mass balances, and improving targets. SOPs, management of change, maintenance programs, and dashboards are in place and in use. Leadership rarely has to ask for status because you have already provided it. What You Bring Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, or related field. Equivalent plant leadership experience may be considered. 7 or more years in chemical, metals, materials, recycling, or related process of plant operations, including at least 3 years leading people or shifts. Hands-on experience commissioning, starting up, or ramping up a new plant or production line. A track record of owning plant metrics and improving data and structured problem solving. Working knowledge of process flow diagrams, P&IDs, control systems, hazard reviews, and management-of-change practices. Clear, concise communication, written and verbal, including the ability to summarize plant status for executives in minutes. Willingness to work on site in an active industrial environment and lead through startups, outages, and operating events as needed. Preferred Experience with hydrometallurgy, solvent extraction, membrane-based separations, battery materials, rare earths, or metals recovery. Process safety experience with flammable solvents and continuous chemical processes. Experience building a plant team and operating systems from scratch in a fast-growing company. Familiarity with lean manufacturing, reliability-centered maintenance, quality systems, and operating dashboards. Why Momentum Build don't inherit. Shape the plant, the team, and the operating standards that will carry MTI through commercial scale-up. Work on what matters. Help build a domestic supply of critical minerals for batteries, magnets, and advanced manufacturing. High visibility and impact. Plant II is central to MTI's growth and commercialization strategy, and you will work directly with company leadership. Rewarding package. Competitive compensation, performance bonus, equity, relocation support, and a robust benefits package. Competitive base salary commensurate with qualifications and experience Performance-based bonus opportunity Equity participation Relocation assistance available 401(k) match with up to 5% match Flexible/unlimited PTO Annual year-end shutdown Catered lunch 2x/week Momentum Technologies is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Additional Job Application Terms This job is part of LinkedIn’s Full-Service Hiring beta program. Eligibility is limited to candidates located in and performing services in the United States, excluding those based in Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, South Carolina, or West Virginia. We’re committed to making our hiring process as smooth and timely as possible, and we understand that waiting to hear back can add to the anticipation. If you’re a potential fit, our team will reach out within two weeks to progress you to the next stage. If you don’t hear from us in that time, we encourage you to explore other opportunities with our team in the future, and we wish you the very best in your job search.