Engineering Lead - Plant Equipment

American Advanced Materials; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Medical, vision and dental coverage

Flexible PTO

Job summary

American Advanced Materials seeks a hands-on engineering leader to own design, fabrication, and integration of custom and purchased equipment across our titanium and zirconium facilities. You’ll decide build vs.

buy, ensure manufacturability, and drive rapid prototyping of scalable hardware for a first-of-its-kind plant. Responsibilities include leading design of Kroll reactors, vacuum distillation units, collaborating with vendors, and overseeing fabrication, testing, and installation through

Qualifications

• Proven success in solving engineering challenges requiring build vs buy decisions.
• Experience designing, building, and testing fluid-handling systems under challenging conditions.
• Proven leadership of engineering teams in equipment/hardware manufacture.
• Expertise in materials selection, high-performance alloys, corrosion resistance.
• Familiarity with advanced manufacturing techniques, CNC machining, and welding of exotic alloys.
• Experience with DFM, rapid prototyping, and supplier collaboration for custom parts.
• Experience with pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy or chemical/oil & gas systems is a plus.
• Experience with very large-scale components (e.g., tall distillation columns, large tanks) is a plus
• Experience with reactive metals is a plus

Responsibilities

• Make buy vs. build decisions in collaboration with process & facilities engineering.
• Lead design and development of all custom process hardware such as reactors and distillation units.
• Evaluate equipment technologies with vendors and integrate selected systems.
• Conduct design-for-manufacturing (DFM) reviews and optimize for lead time and cost.
• Oversee fabrication and assembly of hardware to meet specs and timelines.
• Lead prototyping and testing to iterate quickly for performance and reliability.
• Develop and execute hardware validation test plans (thermal, mechanical, chemical).
• Ensure hardware integrates smoothly into plant layout and process flow.
• Oversee installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting during pilot and production phases.
• Design modular, scalable hardware for rapid replication as the facility expands
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve hardware performance

Skills

Leadership

DFM

Prototyping

Project management

Education

Advanced engineering degree

Tools

CNC machining

Welding

Cryogenic systems

Job description

We’re looking for a hands‑on, highly skilled engineering leader to take ownership of design, fabrication, and integration of custom and purchased equipment/hardware required across our titanium and zirconium materials production facilities. This is a critical technical leadership role where you’ll bridge process engineering with real‑world manufacturing. You will be the primary decision maker for build vs. buy decisions on plant equipment. You will be responsible for ensuring that all custom equipment, such as Kroll reactors, chlorinators, and vacuum distillation units, are manufacturable, scalable, and optimized for performance. You’ll work at the intersection of cutting‑edge materials science and advanced manufacturing, driving the rapid prototyping and deployment of hardware that will power a first‑of‑its‑kind facility.

Responsibilities

• Work with process & facilities engineering to make buy vs. build decisions

• Lead the design and development of all custom process hardware, including Kroll reactors and vacuum distillation units

• Work with technology vendors to evaluate equipment and process technologies, then integrate selected systems into our plant design and operating plan

• Conduct design-for-manufacturing (DFM) reviews and iterate designs to reduce lead times and costs

• Oversee the fabrication and assembly of hardware, ensuring adherence to specifications and timelines

• Lead the prototyping and testing of hardware components, iterating quickly to optimize performance and reliability

• Develop and execute test plans for hardware validation, including thermal, mechanical, and chemical stress testing

• Work closely with the process & facilities engineering to ensure seamless integration of hardware into the plant layout and process flow

• Oversee installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting of hardware systems during pilot and production phases

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• Design hardware systems that are modular and scalable, enabling rapid replication and deployment as the facility expands

• Identify opportunities to improve hardware performance, reduce costs, and enhance operational efficiency

Qualifications

• Proven success in solving engineering challenges that require complex build vs. buy decisions for which there is no existing commodity hardware

• Proven success in designing, building, and testing fluid-handling systems with challenging temperatures and pressures

• Proven success in leading engineering teams, ideally in equipment/hardware manufacture

• Expertise in materials selection and evaluation, ideally with field experience with high-performance and low-corrosion alloys

• Familiarity with advanced manufacturing techniques, CNC machining, and welding of exotic alloys

• Extensive experience with DFM, rapid prototyping, and working with suppliers to fabricate custom components

• Experience in pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy or chemical/oil & gas systems is a plus

• Experience with very large-scale components (think 30ft tall distillation columns or large cryogenic tanks) is a plus

• Experience with reactive metals is a plus

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $180K – $270K
• Significant equity compensation aligned with public benchmarks for senior early team members
• Your actual compensation will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: location, job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
• You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, short & long-term disability insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks.
• We have a flexible paid time-off (PTO) policy.