Head of Project Management

Alta Resource Technologies•Boulder, CO

5d•Onsite

About The Position

About Alta 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. About the Role We are seeking a Head of Project Management to develop a world-class project management office. The ideal candidate has experience leading complex, multidisciplinary engineering projects to support the design, construction, and operation of our first-of-a-kind Demo facility as well as future commercial facilities. Experience managing early-stage R&D teams is a plus. The person in this role will support ongoing projects, mature our Product Development Process (PDP) and deploy systems to support program management. As the company grows, this candidate will be responsible for building the team to support future endeavors. The person in this role will be critical for driving execution and managing risk profiles across technical and commercial teams.

Requirements

10-15 years of experience managing large-scale, multidisciplinary technical projects in engineering, biotech, chemistry, advanced manufacturing, or related fields. Will consider fewer years if you have a PhD.
Deep understanding of technical project lifecycles; strong skills in cross-functional risk management, project oversight, program leadership, etc.
Proven skills and experience collaborating and communicating with scientific leaders across various disciplines such as biologists, chemists, and engineers.
Exceptional communication and leadership skills—able to operate with executive presence and influence at all levels.
Extensive experience with standard project management software such as SmartSheets, Microsoft Project, Jira, etc.
U.S. citizenship required.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PE, or relevant technical certifications are a plus.
Demonstrated success in managing complex government or dual-use programs, ideally involving the Department of Defense, or similar.
Experience working with an engineering company at Series A stage.
Jira software experience.
Experience working on a DOD proposal.

Responsibilities

Manage the full lifecycle of Demo plant implementation, from planning to commissioning while ensuring timelines, deliverables, and success metrics are met.
Develop PM functional capabilities by developing processes and tools to support multiple projects and to enable portfolio management.
Develop and maintain the master task schedule and integrated budget; ensure financials are tracked, validated, and reconciled with functional leads.
Proactively identify risks, roadblocks, and resource constraints; escalate to executive leadership with thoughtful mitigation strategies.
Work hand-in-hand with technical and project leads (process engineering, chemistry, biology, commercial) to ensure alignment of execution and business priorities. Offer constructive challenge and strategic input based on sound technical judgment.
Provide regular, structured updates to internal and external stakeholders such as the Department of Defense, U.S. Government stakeholders, and other external agencies.
Ensure all project documentation, regulatory reports, and technical data packages are maintained, reviewed, and submitted in accordance with partner requirements.
Develop a project management office that can support both internal project management and can deploy to external/partner sites as we develop commercial plants.