Business Development and Special Projects Manager

Alta Resource Technologies•Boulder, CO

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

Alta Resource Technologies (Alta) is a next generation mining company that uses synthetic biology to separate critical minerals from conventional and unconventional resources, including e-waste. Founded in 2023, the company is expanding its team in Boulder, CO. The exponential growth of new tech industries, as well as the information technology sector, are driving historic growth in mineral demand and stressing existing supply streams. Meeting new demand, diversifying the supply chain, and producing minerals in a more sustainable manner requires the rapid development, deployment and scaling of new technologies. This mineral challenge represents a historic opportunity for technology development and value creation. Alta is proud to be at the vanguard of this mega trend. This role is in Boulder, CO. Hybrid/In-person preferred; remote will be considered. Role Summary As Business Development & Special Projects Manager, you'll sit at the intersection of Alta's commercial strategies and early-stage projects. The role is split between two priorities: (1) working with colleagues from project origination to contract execution, and (2) leading special projects that require cross-functional coordination, independent judgment, and direct ownership of outcomes on behalf of leadership. Working closely with leadership and the technical team, you'll help quantify the commercial value of Alta's technology across feedstocks and end markets, support financial modeling and decision-making, and take on discrete, high-priority initiatives that don't fit neatly into any one function. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced professional with technical experience, strong financial and analytical skills, and cross-functional communication skills who wants to operate across both strategic analysis and hands-on execution in a high-impact, early-stage environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations, or business
5+ years of professional experience in management consulting, corporate finance, operations, or a similar analytically intensive role, ideally including experience leading independent projects or work streams
Proficiency in financial modeling, including discounted cash flow analysis, scenario modeling, and sensitivity analysis
Ability to read and interpret process flow diagrams, mass balance tables, and engineering cost estimates
Experience with development or due diligence of project finance structures and execution plans
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives independently, with minimal oversight, in ambiguous or fast-changing situations
Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly the ability to present technical-financial analysis to both engineering and business audiences
Comfort working in a fast-paced, early-stage environment with limited structure
Interest in critical minerals, biotech, or national security supply chains
Remote roles: Ability to work core business hours in Mountain Time
U.S. citizenship is required for this role; a valid U.S. passport is required

Nice To Haves

Exposure to mining, hydrometallurgy, chemical processing, or bioprocess industries
Experience with government funded projects or familiarity with federal acquisition processes
Familiarity with critical mineral markets (rare earth elements, gallium, uranium, etc.), pricing benchmarks, or critical mineral supply chain dynamics
Prior experience in a chief-of-staff, strategy & operations, or special projects capacity at a startup or high-growth company

Responsibilities

Build and maintain financial, discounted cash flow, and sensitivity that combine CAPEX and OPEX forecasts from existing techno-economic modeling with revenue projections, and cost of capital projections to forecast relevant return on investment scenarios (e.g., IRR, NPV, etc.)
Develop business analyses for pilot and commercial-scale deployments, incorporating capital expenditure estimates, operating cost structures, and development & production timelines. This work will require strong collaboration with the technical and engineering teams
Support the evaluation of new feedstock and partnership opportunities by modeling economic outcomes under varying technical and market assumptions
Conduct competitive and market analysis for rare earth separation, recycling, and adjacent critical mineral technologies
Assist in preparing investor materials, white papers, project finance packages, and government proposals by contributing quantitative analysis and clearly communicating technical-financial tradeoffs
Contribute to executing the go-to-market strategy, including analysis of licensing and joint venture structures
Support the analysis of new critical mineral market segments, value propositions, competitive landscapes, pricing structures, and partnership ecosystems
Collaborate with technical staff to track milestones that translate experimental results into updated commercial projections and KPIs
Drive cross-functional projects from scoping through execution, coordinating with engineering, finance, and external partners as needed
Own project management for time-sensitive initiatives, including defining scope, timelines, and success metrics, and reporting progress to leadership
Step into ambiguous or undefined problems and structure them into actionable work streams
Represent the company in select external engagements (partner meetings, government/agency interactions, diligence processes) as directed by leadership