Plant Director
About The Position
Phoenix Tailings is seeking an experienced plant and operations leader to become the future Plant Director of its Freedom Facility in Rochester, New York. The commercial-scale rare earth separation facility is designed to produce thousands of tons of separated rare earth oxides annually and expand U.S. capacity for processing and separating rare earth materials. The Plant Director will build and lead the facility’s operating organization, prepare the site and workforce for startup, and lead site safety, production, quality, staffing, and overall plant performance once operations begin. The role includes preparing the workforce and plant systems for commissioning, establishing procedures and training, managing operating resources and budgets, resolving reliability and production issues, and developing site leaders and a strong operating culture. The facility is being developed toward operations in 2027 and 2028. This posting is intended to connect Phoenix Tailings with people interested in future opportunities; hiring timelines, responsibilities, qualifications, and organizational needs may evolve as the facility progresses.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Management, or a related field.
- Significant leadership experience in chemical manufacturing, refining, mining, metals, specialty chemicals, or another continuous-process industrial environment.
- Demonstrated success leading plant operations or a complex manufacturing organization, with accountability for safety, quality, production, and operating performance.
- Experience supporting commissioning, facility startup, operational readiness, or major production scale-up, including coordination with project teams and equipment partners.
- Ability to build operating organizations, develop site leaders, and establish procedures and training systems for a growing workforce.
- Working knowledge of industrial safety, environmental performance, process equipment, maintenance reliability, and controls for consistent production.
- Experience managing staffing and operating budgets and using production, cost, and reliability metrics to prioritize improvements in a developing facility.
Responsibilities
- Build and lead the site operating organization, establishing departmental responsibilities, staffing plans, and leadership routines for startup and sustained operations.
- Prepare the workforce and plant systems for commissioning and startup, coordinating readiness reviews and turnover with the capital projects organization.
- Establish operating procedures, workforce training, maintenance coordination, and performance systems for safe and reliable continuous production.
- Own site safety, environmental performance, product quality, and production results, ensuring operating priorities have clear accountability.
- Manage site budgets and staffing against the operating plan, using cost, uptime, throughput, and quality information to guide decisions.
- Resolve production bottlenecks and reliability issues with operations, engineering, maintenance, and support teams, turning performance data into practical improvements.
- Develop site leaders and a culture of safe execution, accurate reporting, operator capability, and timely follow-through on operating problems.
Benefits
- 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage for the employee.
- Stock options and ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
- Unlimited PTO.
- Learning and development opportunities to grow skills and career.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
