About Phoenix Tailings
Phoenix Tailings is a U.S.-based rare earth metals company building the most technologically advanced rare earth manufacturing platform in the world. The company develops and deploys breakthrough technologies across chemistry, industrial hardware, and digital infrastructure to produce rare earth metals and critical materials domestically at lower cost, higher efficiency, and greater scale.
We operate a fully integrated rare earth production platform spanning extraction, separation, refining, and metallization with a zero waste and zero emissions philosophy. The company is focused on restoring America's leadership in critical minerals and building the foundation for a secure domestic supply chain powering defense, energy, robotics, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing.
Why Phoenix Tailings
At Phoenix, we believe nothing great is ever accomplished alone - or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. You’ll be joining a team building the foundational infrastructure for the modern world, developing entirely new ways to produce rare earth and critical metals domestically, cleanly, and at scale.
Our Values:
● You are only crazy if you are wrong, it’s ok to be wrong
● Lead with Compassion
● Be Resourceful
● Listen
● Hustle
About the Role
Phoenix Tailings is looking for a Chief of Staff- Engineering with extensive EPCM leadership and capital project management experience to drive the buildout of our Freedom Facility in Rochester, NY. You will own the integrated project execution plan, driving scope, schedule, budget, risk management, and delivery accountability across engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning. You will work closely with executive leadership to turn priorities into defined workstreams, resolve obstacles, and keep project teams and external partners aligned on commitments. The ideal candidate has delivered complex industrial facilities and combines rigorous project management with the technical judgment needed to advance a metals production facility into safe, reliable operation.
Own the integrated project execution plan for the Freedom Facility, defining scope, work breakdown, deliverables, milestones, budgets, and accountable owners from engineering through operational handover.
Establish and maintain the master project schedule, connecting engineering releases, permitting, equipment procurement, construction sequencing, and commissioning activities.
Lead project controls, tracking committed costs, actual spending, forecast costs at completion, contingency use, and progress against approved budgets and schedules.
Run project execution reviews that hold internal teams, EPCM partners, vendors, and contractors accountable for deliverables, decisions, and corrective actions.
Manage the critical path and dependencies across workstreams, identifying delays early and driving recovery plans with clear owners and deadlines.
Own project risk and change management, maintaining a risk register and evaluating scope changes for their effects on cost, schedule, safety, and facility performance.
Direct EPCM partner execution and resolve interfaces among engineering disciplines, equipment suppliers, and construction contractors to prevent gaps, rework, and delays.
Drive procurement and construction readiness, ensuring specifications, design packages, vendor documentation, site infrastructure, and long-lead equipment support planned installation dates.
Provide executive leadership with concise project reporting, decision recommendations, and timely escalation of issues requiring additional resources or changes in direction.
Lead commissioning and handover planning, establishing system completion criteria, startup milestones, acceptance requirements, and closure plans for outstanding work while integrating safety, environmental, and quality requirements.
Extensive leadership experience in EPCM and capital project management, with direct accountability for delivering complex industrial facilities.
Demonstrated success managing project scope, schedule, budget, risk, and execution from engineering through construction, commissioning, and operational handover.
Experience delivering facilities in metals processing, mineral processing, chemicals, refining, or similarly demanding process industries.
Strong command of project controls, including work breakdown structures, integrated scheduling, critical-path analysis, cost forecasting, progress measurement, and change control.
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary project teams and hold EPCM firms, equipment suppliers, and construction contractors accountable for contractual commitments.
Experience managing long-lead procurement, construction interfaces, resource constraints, and recovery plans on projects with interdependent workstreams.
Practical understanding of plant engineering, constructability, equipment installation, utilities, commissioning, and operating requirements.
Strong commercial and executive judgment, including experience evaluating change orders, contractor claims, project tradeoffs, and decisions requiring leadership action.
This pay range reflects best estimate for the total cash compensation which includes salary + discretionary bonus for this role. Total package may vary based on experience and qualifications.
Pay Range: $165,000- $215,000 total cash compensation plus equity
Healthcare: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employee.
Stock Options: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
Time Off: Unlimited PTO.
Learning: Learning and development opportunities to grow your skills and career.
At Phoenix Tailings, we have an open culture that values learning, and we are looking to grow the team with enthusiastic individuals who share our vision of sustainable mining.
Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at all levels. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information, or any other applicable protected characteristics, and these characteristics will not be a factor for consideration of any work-related decisions (including but not limited to hiring, firing, compensation, and discipline).
