Senior Process Engineer

Magrathea • Oakland, CA

13d • $150,000 - $190,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Magrathea is reinventing a foundation of modern civilization: secure, clean magnesium metal. Magnesium enables critical sectors - aerospace, defense, automotive, aluminum alloys, titanium production, and advanced manufacturing - yet 95% of global supply comes from coal-based production in China. That’s not just a supply chain fragility - it’s a national security exposure. We’ve developed a first-of-its-kind, electrolytic process to produce magnesium from seawater and brines - unlocking industrial independence and dramatically lowering environmental impact. We are backed by investors behind Tesla and SpaceX, major European industrial families, and the U.S. defense community.

Magrathea is seeking a highly capable, hands-on Senior Process Engineer to support the development, operation, and scale-up of our revolutionary electrolytic process technology. The role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced R&D environment and combines strong mechanical, electrical, fabrication, and process troubleshooting skills with a practical, solutions-oriented mindset. The successful candidate will play a critical role in designing, building, operating, and improving pilot-scale systems, and transferring the knowledge gained to Magrathea’s demonstration plant in Southwest Arkansas. This position requires creativity, initiative, sound technical judgment, strong operational problem-solving skills, and clear communication across pilot plant, laboratory, and demonstration plant environments.

Requirements

• Strong mechanical and electrical diagnostic and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to understand the entirety of a complex chemical flowsheet and the effects upstream results have on downstream unit operations.
• Experience operating and maintaining industrial or pilot processing equipment.
• Hands-on fabrication experience and comfort working with tools and machinery.
• Familiarity with PLC systems, instrumentation, sensors, or industrial controls.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, wiring diagrams, and P&IDs to support equipment operation, maintenance, and system modifications.
• Experience using AI tools to accelerate technical documentation, data review, root cause analysis, and knowledge transfer.
• Strong communication, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Capable of training others in best practices and transferring process/operational knowledge.
• Ability to work independently in fast-paced process development environments.
• Knowledge of laboratory safety and chemical handling practices.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with high temperature equipment or molten materials.
• Comfortable working in physically demanding industrial environments involving high temperatures, molten materials, specialized PPE, and extended periods on foot.

Responsibilities

• Utilize piloting expertise to propose equipment/process innovations to execute development experiments at the demonstration plant.
• Operate, troubleshoot, and optimize demo-scale electrolytic and high-temperature processing equipment.
• Documenting pilot operational learnings for transfer to demonstration scale engineering and operations.
• Travel to Arkansas to support commissioning, startup, and operational activities at Magrathea’s demonstration plant.
• Diagnose and resolve mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and process related issues.
• Fabricate and modify custom equipment using cutting, grinding, welding, drilling, and tapping tools.
• Design and modify piping, plumbing, electrical, and instrumentation systems.
• Support PLC controls, sensor integration, wiring, and data logging systems.
• Repair and perform preventative maintenance on pilot plant and laboratory equipment.
• Maintain accurate experimental records, operational logs and communicate learnings and observations.
• Run pre-established analytical methods to analyze samples from pilot or demonstration plant experiments.
• Collaborate with engineers, scientists, and technicians to improve processes and scale emerging technologies.
• Manage raw materials, process samples, and consumables while maintaining accuracy and traceability.
• Work safely in industrial and laboratory environments using appropriate PPE, including extended use of full-face respirators and aluminized protective equipment for high temperature and molten material operations.

Benefits

• $150,000–$190,000 annual salary + significant equity and milestone-based incentives
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision
• 401(k) with immediate eligibility
• True leadership opportunities on a program with global impact

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed