4.1. Lead Manufacturing Engineer

Phoenix Tailings•Exeter, NH

44d•Onsite

About The Position

Phoenix Tailings is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to join their team in Exeter. This role is crucial for building the manufacturing systems and engineering team necessary to scale rare earth metals production. The position involves taking ownership of significant manufacturing challenges, including translating metallurgical processes into production-ready systems, defining equipment architecture, process capability, throughput, reliability, and cost. Additionally, the Lead Manufacturing Engineer will play a key role in establishing the manufacturing engineering function, setting technical standards, developing engineers, and creating scalable systems and practices. The ideal candidate will possess deep hands-on manufacturing experience combined with strong technical leadership, and a passion for building a new domestic rare earth metals industry.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
8+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, production engineering, equipment engineering, metals manufacturing, chemical processing, or a related industrial environment.
Demonstrated experience leading the development, scale-up, and improvement of complex manufacturing or process systems from development through sustained production.
Experience building, developing, or technically leading manufacturing engineering teams in a rapidly growing production environment.
Strong experience with equipment specification, commissioning, qualification, process validation, production ramp-up, and sustaining engineering.
Deep experience with root-cause analysis, process optimization, equipment troubleshooting, and implementation of durable corrective and preventive solutions.
Demonstrated ability to use production data, process capability, engineering experimentation, and structured problem-solving to drive significant manufacturing improvements.
Strong working knowledge of engineering drawings, GD&T, CAD, equipment specifications, manufacturing documentation, and design-for-manufacturing principles.
Able to lift up to 50 lbs
Able to wear a respirator for extended periods of time

Responsibilities

Lead the development, scale-up, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes used to produce rare earth and critical metals, driving measurable improvements in throughput, yield, reliability, quality, safety, and cost.
Own the manufacturing engineering strategy for major rare earth production systems, including equipment architecture, process flow, tooling, controls, maintainability, and scalability.
Lead the specification, design review, installation, commissioning, qualification, and ramp-up of new production equipment required to expand Phoenix Tailings' rare earth manufacturing capacity.
Build and develop the manufacturing engineering team, helping define roles, technical expectations, engineering standards, and the capabilities required to support rapidly scaling production.
Drive root-cause investigations and resolution of complex process and equipment failures, implementing durable engineering solutions that improve long-term production stability.
Define process requirements, operating windows, manufacturing standards, and technical acceptance criteria required to transition new rare earth processing technologies into reliable production.
Lead engineering trials, process validation, scale-up studies, and capability assessments that reduce technical risk and establish production-ready manufacturing methods.
Use production data, process capability, equipment performance, and capacity analysis to identify constraints and prioritize the highest-impact manufacturing investments and improvements.
Serve as a technical leader for manufacturing engineering, developing best practices and guiding technical decisions across equipment design, process development, production scale-up, and manufacturing readiness.