Chief of Staff to the CEO
About The Position
PHNX Materials is a startup focused on creating a domestic supply chain for critical metals, cement replacement material, and fertilizer by processing industrial waste like coal ash and zinc slag. The company was founded by alumni from Stanford, Tesla, and national labs, with backing from prominent investors and sponsorship from the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of Energy. PHNX is transitioning from a pilot phase to commercial scale and is seeking its first Chief of Staff to support the CEO. This role is the first business hire and will be the CEO's primary partner, working closely with engineers, operators, and partners to manage the transition to commercial production. The core responsibilities involve operations, including project management of commercial deployments, coordination between engineering and field teams, and translating customer commitments into actionable execution plans. The Chief of Staff will also establish the company's operating cadence and manage external documentation. This is a high-impact role with direct responsibility for achieving commercial milestones, not a support position.
Requirements
- Engineering undergraduate degree (Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Materials, or related).
- Ability to read a process flow diagram.
- Ability to sanity-check a techno-economic model.
- Ability to hold your own with engineers and field operators.
- Former MBB consultant, top-tier investment banker, or operator at an early-stage hard-tech, energy, or industrials company.
- Strong preference for energy, utilities, power, or industrials exposure.
- High-output track record with evidence of sustained excellence.
- Comfortable doing unglamorous work (e.g., chasing vendor quotes, fixing spreadsheets, rewriting emails, presenting to the board).
- Direct communicator: writes clearly, pushes back when something is wrong, avoids buzzwords.
- Excited to be on-site at customer facilities and at the pilot.
- Must be a U.S. national.
Responsibilities
- Project-manage pilots and first small commercial deployments end to end.
- Translate signed contracts into site plans, schedules, and weekly priorities.
- Coordinate across PHNX engineering, field ops, EPC partners, and customer counterparts.
- Run site readiness, logistics, and deployment planning.
- Identify operational issues in real time and drive them to resolution.
- Find and execute cost-down measures across the operating model.
- Set agendas and run the weekly team meetings.
- Build the lightweight processes and tools the company needs to scale without bureaucracy.
- Drive continuous improvement of how PHNX operates as we grow.
- Build investor and executive presentations.
- Maintain the market model.
- Draft customer-facing documents, grant narratives, and partner updates.
- Act as a credible PHNX voice in writing with utility counterparts, DOE program managers, and investors.
- Bridge the gap between sales and engineering, bringing execution learnings back into how PHNX prices, scopes, and sells the next project.
Benefits
- A seat directly next to the CEO at a company building the domestic supply chain for critical minerals and a cleaner cement industry.
- Real ownership of execution and company-building, with a path to a senior operating role as we scale.
- Competitive cash and meaningful equity.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
