Lead Manufacturing Engineer: Scale-Up & Systems

Ring Inc; Exeter (NH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare: 100% coverage for employee

Stock options

Unlimited PTO

Learning and development opportunities

Great team

Job summary

Phoenix Tailings is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to build manufacturing systems and an engineering team for scaling rare earth metals production in Exeter. You will own the strategy for major production systems, define equipment architecture, process capability, throughput, reliability, and cost, and establish standards and practices to scale with production.

You will lead engineering trials, process validation, and ramp-up of new equipment, while developing the team and driving durable

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, production engineering, equipment engineering, metals manufacturing, chemical processing, or a related industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading the development, scale-up, and improvement of complex manufacturing or process systems from development through sustained production.
• Experience building, developing, or technically leading manufacturing engineering teams in a rapidly growing production environment.
• Strong experience with equipment specification, commissioning, qualification, process validation, production ramp-up, and sustaining engineering.
• Deep experience with root-cause analysis, process optimization, equipment troubleshooting, and implementation of durable corrective and preventive solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to use production data, process capability, engineering experimentation, and structured problem-solving to drive significant manufacturing improvements.
• Strong working knowledge of engineering drawings, GD&T, CAD, equipment specifications, manufacturing documentation, and design-for-manufacturing principles.
• Able to lift up to 50 lbs
• Able to wear a respirator for extended periods of time.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, scale-up, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes used to produce rare earth and critical metals, driving measurable improvements in throughput, yield, reliability, quality, safety, and cost.
• Own the manufacturing engineering strategy for major rare earth production systems, including equipment architecture, process flow, tooling, controls, maintainability, and scalability.
• Lead the specification, design review, installation, commissioning, qualification, and ramp-up of new production equipment required to expand Phoenix Tailings' rare earth manufacturing capacity.
• Build and develop the manufacturing engineering team, helping define roles, technical expectations, engineering standards, and the capabilities required to support rapidly scaling production.
• Drive root-cause investigations and resolution of complex process and equipment failures, implementing durable engineering solutions that improve long-term production stability.
• Define process requirements, operating windows, manufacturing standards, and technical acceptance criteria required to transition new rare earth processing technologies into reliable production.
• Lead engineering trials, process validation, scale-up studies, and capability assessments that reduce technical risk and establish production-ready manufacturing methods.
• Use production data, process capability, equipment performance, and capacity analysis to identify constraints and prioritize the highest-impact manufacturing investments and improvements.
• Serve as a technical leader for manufacturing engineering, developing best practices and guiding technical decisions across equipment design, process development, production scale-up, and manufacturing readiness.

Skills

Mechanical engineering

Manufacturing engineering

Equipment specification

Root-cause analysis

Process optimization

CAD

GD&T

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Industrial/Chemical/Materials/Metallurgical Engineering

Tools

CAD

Job description

Phoenix Tailings is seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to build manufacturing systems and an engineering team for scaling rare earth metals production in Exeter. You will own the strategy for major production systems, define equipment architecture, process capability, throughput, reliability, and cost, and establish standards and practices to scale with production.

You will lead engineering trials, process validation, and ramp-up of new equipment, while developing the team and driving durable