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Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company focused on supplying critical minerals for modern energy, AI, and defense technologies. They are reimagining the minerals supply chain through advanced software, automation, and data-driven decision-making.
You will lead operations at the DSM Pilot Plant in Houston, a first-of-its-kind, fully integrated flowsheet combining high-temperature pyrometallurgical processing with downstream hydrometallurgical refining. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will build the operating team from the ground up, take the plant through commissioning and startup, and run structured campaigns that generate critical process data and product samples.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and build the DSM pilot operations team, including shift leads and technicians across pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy sections; recruit, develop, and manage performance
- Design and manage shift schedules, including rotation patterns, campaign coverage, overtime, and fatigue management
- Write and own the complete plant procedure library: startup, normal operation, shutdown, emergency response, and equipment-specific SOPs; qualify all operators
- Own safe and reliable operation of pyrometallurgical section: drying, calcining/roasting, reduction/smelting furnaces, hot solids handling, off-gas and scrubbing systems
- Own safe and reliable operation of hydrometallurgical section: leaching, solid-liquid separation, solvent extraction/ion exchange, precipitation, crystallization, and effluent treatment
- Manage interfaces between sections, including intermediate transfer, recycle streams, residues, and waste handling
- Lead commissioning, startup, and campaign execution with punch list closure, loop checks, pre-startup safety reviews, and first feed
- Own EHS on the floor: lockout/tagout, hot work, confined space entry, line breaking, chemical handling, PPE, and waste compliance; serve as incident commander
- Maintain operating records, inspections, and regulatory reporting for air, stormwater, and hazardous waste; support agency inspections
- Drive troubleshooting and root cause analysis on upsets, equipment failures, and off-specification product
- Plan campaign execution, track inventory, and report daily/weekly on throughput, uptime, consumption, and safety metrics
- Own CMMS work orders, preventive maintenance programs, spare parts management, and operating budgets
- Provide off-hours support during campaigns and plant upsets
Requirements:
- 5+ years supervising a multi-shift team
- 10+ years operating pilot or commercial-scale process plants in minerals processing, metallurgy, or chemicals
- Hands-on operating experience in both pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes (deep experience in one with demonstrated working exposure to the other acceptable)
- High-temperature equipment experience: kilns, roasters, calciners, or furnaces, including burner management systems, refractory, and hot solids handling
- Wet chemical unit operation experience: leaching, filtration/centrifugation, solvent extraction/ion exchange, precipitation, crystallization
- Demonstrated safe handling of concentrated acids and bases, flammable solvents, and hazardous process gases
- Proven ownership of core safety work processes: lockout/tagout, hot work, confined space entry, safe work permitting
- Commissioning and startup experience on new plants or new units
- Fluency with HMI, DCS, PLC systems, historians, PFDs, P&IDs, and control narratives
- Associate or Bachelor degree in engineering, metallurgy, or chemistry, or equivalent operating experience
- Startup environment experience preferred
