8.5. Principal Production Engineer -Burlington
About The Position
Phoenix Tailings is seeking a visionary Principal Production Engineer to take ownership of the scale-up and technical leadership of our pilot production systems. In this strategic role, you will serve as the technical authority on clean metals production systems, lead critical process development efforts, and directly influence how lab-scale innovations are transformed into commercial-scale operations. You will work cross-functionally with R&D, Engineering, and Operations, and have significant influence on the buildout of Phoenix Tailings’ next-generation critical metals infrastructure. Your contributions will directly accelerate our path toward a scalable, fully clean metals production platform. This pay range reflects the expected compensation for this role and may vary based on experience and qualifications.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline (Master’s or PhD preferred)
- 7–10+ years of experience in process engineering, pilot-scale production, or advanced manufacturing
- Proven track record leading the scale-up of complex mechanical or chemical processes from benchtop to pilot and beyond
- Deep knowledge of production system design, operations, and process optimization in high-complexity environments
- Hands-on expertise with industrial equipment, instrumentation, process controls, and safety systems
- Exceptional analytical, communication, and leadership skills, with the ability to influence at all levels
- Passion for clean technology, sustainable manufacturing, and solving big industrial challenges
Nice To Haves
- Experience with critical metals, high-temperature systems, electrochemical, or chemical processing preferred
Responsibilities
- Lead the design, deployment, and optimization of pilot-scale production processes for rare earth and critical metals
- Drive process scale-up strategies from R&D proof-of-concept through full pilot validation and production integration
- Serve as the primary technical owner of high-impact production systems, with deep understanding of process inputs, outputs, and constraints
- Identify and eliminate bottlenecks in throughput, quality, reliability, and equipment performance
- Apply advanced mechanical or chemical engineering principles to optimize process efficiency, safety, and scalability
- Translate experimental data into actionable engineering decisions and long-term production solutions
- Develop and maintain high-quality technical documentation, including process flow diagrams, equipment specs, and SOPs
- Provide technical mentorship to other engineers and foster a culture of excellence in production and process engineering
- Partner with leadership to define capital plans, facility upgrades, and infrastructure expansion based on process needs
- Ensure strict adherence to safety, quality, and environmental standards as systems scale
Benefits
- Healthcare, we care about you and your family: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Stock: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
- Family Focus: Parental leave and flexibility for families.
- Time Off: Flexible vacation policy to encourage people to get out and see the world.
- Team Fun: Regularly scheduled events, and celebrations.
- Learning: Learning and development Opportunities to grow your skills and career.
- Great team: Working with fun, hard-working, kind people committed to making a difference!
- Flexible culture: We are results-focused. We don’t work at the office every day.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
