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Travertine is an Industrial Transformation company based in Boulder, CO, developing electrochemical technology to recycle sulfate wastes into sulfuric acid and valuable mineral co-products. This enables large-scale circularity in extractive industries while decarbonizing building materials. The company has raised over $29M in capital, including $5M+ in US Federal and State grants, and has successfully operated a demonstration plant in Rochester, NY for over 3,000 hours. Travertine is now advancing from demonstration to commercial plant deployment.
The VP of Engineering will lead Travertine's engineering function and report directly to the CEO. This role is responsible for building the engineering discipline and team that will design and ensure effective operation of world-scale critical mineral production plants. The first plant in development is a purified phosphoric acid plant in the southeastern US, currently in FEL-2 (Front End Loading phase 2).
Key responsibilities include: owning the plant engineering roadmap from demo to multiple commercial deployments; building systems, standards, and processes for a professional engineering organization; translating pilot and demonstration plant data into scalable process designs; working cross-functionally with Process Development, R&D, and Electrochemical Stack Engineering teams; developing stage-gate engineering plans with scope, schedule, budget, and risk assessment; determining internal versus external execution (EPCs, vendors, consultants); evaluating engineering, procurement, and construction models; leading development of process design packages (PFDs, P&IDs, mass/energy balances, equipment specs, control philosophies); overseeing process design across chemical separations, hydrometallurgy, crystallization, ion exchange, and related industrial processes; guiding demonstration plant upgrades; reviewing technoeconomic analysis and cost models; driving process safety and risk management (HAZOP, PHA, LOPA, PSM); collaborating with regulatory, environmental, and legal teams on permitting; supporting site selection, facility layout, and constructability reviews; building and leading a high-performing multidisciplinary engineering team; managing multiple workstreams in parallel; interfacing with technicians, scientists, engineers, executives, investors, vendors, and contractors; developing RFPs and managing external EPCs; establishing work-planning, documentation, and review processes; mentoring technical team members; and serving as a senior technical voice in fundraising and investor conversations.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 20+ years of engineering experience in complex chemical, hydrometallurgical, industrial water, mining, critical minerals, cement/materials, or adjacent process industries
- Proven track record translating R&D, pilot, and demo results into scalable engineering designs for commercial deployment
- Deep applied process engineering foundation, including PFDs, P&IDs, mass and energy balances, equipment specification, process safety, and technoeconomic/capital planning
- Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering programs from concept through detailed design, construction support, commissioning, and startup
- Ability to lead internal teams and external partners, including EPCs, vendors, consultants, and contractors
- Experience building engineering discipline in a startup, scale-up, or first-of-a-kind industrial technology environment
- Strong cross-functional communicator with judgment and maturity to align R&D, engineering, operations, executives, investors, and commercial stakeholders
- Demonstrated track record delivering projects on time and on budget
- Experience with skid-based plant manufacturing for key unit operations and/or entire plants
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related field (required)
- PE license (required)
NICE-TO-HAVE:
- Experience in phosphate, fertilizer, mining, cement, industrial minerals, or critical mineral recovery
- Electrochemical process experience (electrolysis, electrodialysis, chlor-alkali, or related systems)
- Controls, automation, instrumentation, or plant data systems experience
- Experience supporting fundraising, grant applications, DOE-style diligence, or investor technical diligence
