Technical Program Manager

PHNX Materials•San Leandro, CA

3h•$115,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

PHNX Materials is addressing the critical need for domestic supply chains of essential metals, which are currently heavily controlled by China. The company's innovative "solids refinery" process transforms industrial waste, such as coal ash and zinc slag, into valuable product streams: critical metals for semiconductors and defense, a cement replacement material for construction, and fertilizer for agriculture. This platform offers a triple benefit by securing domestic critical mineral supply chains, helping power producers manage coal ash liabilities, and providing a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to cement for concrete producers. PHNX also supports coal communities and remediates groundwater. The company was founded by alumni from Stanford, Tesla, and national labs, and is backed by prominent investors and sponsored by the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of Energy. The company is scaling its operations from a pilot facility to a demonstration facility and then to a commercial facility.

Requirements

Engineering undergraduate degree, required.
Ability to read a process flow diagram or P&ID.
Ability to sanity-check a schedule against real engineering constraints.
Ability to hold your own with process engineers and site operators.
Track record running technical programs in a hardware, manufacturing, industrials, or process/chemical plant environment.
Experience managing schedules against physical constraints (equipment lead times, construction sequencing, commissioning).
High-output track record with evidence of sustained excellence.
Comfortable doing the unglamorous work: chasing down a vendor delivery date, fixing a broken schedule, walking a site at 6am, then presenting status to the board the next day.
Direct communicator: write clearly, push back when something is wrong, and do not hide behind hedges or buzzwords.
Excited to spend time on-site.
Must be a U.S. national.

Nice To Haves

Masters degree preferred.
Mechanical, chemical, process, or materials engineering background preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain the master schedule spanning process engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning for both the Ohio demo site and the commercial facility.
Translate the CTO/ VP of Engineering's technical roadmap into concrete milestones, dependencies, and critical path.
Run the operating cadence between engineering, research, field ops, EPC/construction partners, and procurement.
Convert technical decisions into site plans and weekly priorities.
Coordinate equipment procurement, logistics, and commissioning planning across both sites.
Run site readiness reviews and drive open items to closure.
Own the technical and schedule risk register.
Identify issues in real time (e.g., permitting delays, long-lead equipment slips, process design changes) and drive them to resolution before they cascade.
Maintain program status reporting for the CEO, CTO, investors, and DOE/DoW program managers.
Keep documentation of technical decisions and process changes current.