Engineering Lead - Facility Build
We're looking for a fast-moving, highly skilled Facility Build Engineering Lead to take ownership of designing, building, and commissioning a cutting-edge chemical metallurgy facility. This is a hands-on technical leadership role, where you'll combine modular design principles, aggressive timelines, and engineering rigor to create one of the most advanced and efficient manufacturing plants in the world. You'll be responsible for integrating high-risk, high-temperature processes into a scalable and modular facility built for speed, efficiency, and iteration. You will additionally act as a primary liaison with an external EPC firm which will conduct most of our non-proprietary work. This is a founding engineering role, and the team you build will redefine how advanced manufacturing facilities are designed and executed.
Responsibilities
- Lead the design, layout, and construction of the plant with support of an internal engineering team and external EPC firms
- Drive hiring and procurement decisions to solve construction & design/build needs
- Work with other internal engineers to optimize the facility for modular expansion, ensuring the infrastructure can scale from pilot to commercial production exceeding 20,000 tons/year
- Evaluate and implement innovative fast, software-driven construction techniques to compress project timelines by 30–50% compared to traditional methods
- Own the design/build/commission timeline and oversee the accelerated design and build-out of the facility
- Work closely with process and hardware engineers to ensure seamless integration of massive custom equipment into the facility design
- Resolve field engineering challenges in real-time to avoid delays and cost overruns
- Design, procure, and deploy high-capacity utility systems, including an excess of 500MW of heating/electrical power
- Deliver robust solutions for handling chemicals and ensuring safety and compliance with OSHA, EPA and state/local standards
- Oversee permitting and compliance processes for high-hazard materials
- Ensure the facility meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements and local zoning standards
- Work closely with process engineering and hardware engineering leads to ensure facility designs align with process requirements
Qualifications
- We want a proven builder who thrives in high-pressure, fast-paced environments and has a track record of delivering complex industrial projects on time, on budget, and to spec
- You were a key leadership figure in the development and construction for a large infrastructure project that was built at record speeds (e.g. Gigafactory, Colossus)
- Proven track record of leading teams on capital projects in excess of $100M
- Experience managing a multitude of parties including contractors, third-party agencies, and a team of employees
- Proven ability to solve field engineering challenges on the fly to keep projects on schedule
- Experience in the chemicals industry or with high-hazard, high-temperature systems is a plus
- B.S. degree in civil engineering (structural engineering preferred)
- M.S. or higher degree engineering degree is a plus
- P.E. license is a plus
Compensation & Benefits
Base salary range: $180k–$270k
Significant equity compensation aligned with public benchmarks for founding team members
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: location, job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, short & long-term disability insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. We have a flexible paid time-off (PTO) policy.