Mechanical and Piping Maintenance Technician

Phoenix Tailings; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 37,000 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Stock options

Unlimited PTO

Learning & development

Job summary

Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is seeking Mechanical and Piping Maintenance specialists at our Rochester Freedom Facility to maintain and repair pumps, valves, piping, and equipment. The role emphasizes preventive maintenance, timely repairs, and coordination with vendors to protect uptime.

The position may require day-shift and on-call work as the facility scales toward startup, with focus on safe isolation, permit-compliant tasks, and thorough record-keeping to support ongoing operations.

Qualifications

• Formal training or apprenticeship in industrial maintenance or related trades.
• Experience maintaining industrial pumps, valves, piping, and related equipment.
• Ability to read mechanical drawings and piping diagrams.
• Experience with safe isolation and permit practices.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute preventive-maintenance plans for pumps, valves, piping, and mechanical equipment.
• Inspect, troubleshoot, and repair chemical-service piping, plumbing, and mechanical systems.
• Support equipment installation, checkout, and startup by addressing maintenance access and readiness issues.
• Build critical-spares and vendor-support arrangements to reduce downtime.
• Maintain equipment records and maintenance procedures following safety protocols.

Skills

Read drawings

Piping diagrams

Hand & power tools

Preventive maintenance

Safety & permits

Troubleshooting pumps

Education

Technical training or apprenticeship in industrial maintenance or related trades

Job description

About Phoenix Tailings

Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly growing clean mining and metals production startup focused on building a domestic supply of critical materials.

About Phoenix Tailings

Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly growing clean mining and metals production startup focused on building a domestic supply of critical materials.
Our Freedom Facility in Rochester, New York will be a commercial-scale rare earth separation facility designed to expand U.S. capacity to process and separate rare earth materials.
Rare earths are essential inputs for many of the technologies that power modern life. They are used in high-performance permanent magnets found in electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, advanced electronics, aerospace systems, and defense applications.
Today, much of the world's rare earth processing and separation capacity is concentrated overseas. Building more of this capability in the United States is important for strengthening domestic supply chains, reducing reliance on foreign processing, and supporting the advanced manufacturing, energy, technology, and national-security industries that depend on these materials.
The Freedom Facility will be designed to produce thousands of tons of separated rare earth oxides annually, making Rochester an important part of Phoenix Tailings' expansion of domestic rare earth processing capacity.

Why Phoenix Tailings

At Phoenix, we believe that nothing great is ever accomplished alone or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. If you are someone who shares our relentless pursuit of a better future, passion for innovation, and are excited about working with some of the top innovators in the world, then this is the place for you.

Our Values

• You are only crazy if you are wrong, it's ok to be wrong - Say what you think even when it’s uncomfortable
• Lead with Compassion - Show up for your teammates, make the people around you better.
• Be Resourceful - Find a way with what you have, don't wait for more.
• Listen - Understand before you act, ask good questions before deciding.
• Hustle - Put your heart into every interaction, no matter how small.

Who We Are Looking For

As we build toward operations in 2027 and 2028, we are beginning to meet with individuals who may be interested in joining Phoenix Tailings.
Phoenix Tailings is looking for maintenance professionals interested in future Mechanical and Piping Maintenance opportunities at our Rochester Freedom Facility.
Mechanical and Piping Maintenance will protect equipment uptime, with particular emphasis on pumps, valves, plumbing, and chemical-service piping. The work includes preventive maintenance, repairs, and coordination of critical spares and vendor support.
This is an opportunity to help keep a new facility's process equipment reliable through practical maintenance and timely repair. The role is expected to provide day-shift and on-call support as the operating model develops.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute preventive-maintenance plans for pumps, valves, piping, and mechanical equipment, using inspection findings to address developing failures
• Inspect, troubleshoot, and repair chemical-service piping, plumbing, and mechanical systems, verifying equipment condition before returning it to operations
• Support equipment installation, checkout, and startup by identifying maintenance-access issues, checking mechanical readiness, and resolving equipment deficiencies
• Build critical-spares and vendor-support arrangements, identifying replacement parts and technical assistance needed to reduce equipment downtime
• Maintain equipment records, repair histories, and maintenance procedures, following isolation and permit requirements when performing plant work

Qualifications

• Technical training, an apprenticeship, or equivalent hands-on experience in industrial maintenance, millwright work, pipefitting, plumbing, or related mechanical trades
• Experience maintaining and repairing industrial pumps, valves, piping, and associated equipment, with an understanding of chemical-service maintenance considerations
• Ability to read mechanical drawings, piping diagrams, and equipment manuals and use appropriate hand tools, power tools, and diagnostic methods
• Ability to plan preventive maintenance, identify critical spares, document repairs, and apply safe equipment-isolation and work-permit practices

What We Offer

This pay range reflects best estimate for the total cash compensation which includes salary + discretionary bonus for this role. Total package may vary based on experience and qualifications.
Pay Range: $27/hr - $50/hr

• Healthcare: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employee
• Stock Options: Ownership in a fast-growing venture-backed company.
• Time Off: Unlimited PTO.
• Learning: Learning and development opportunities to grow your skills and career.

At Phoenix Tailings, we have an open culture that values learning, and we are looking to grow the team with enthusiastic individuals who share our vision of sustainable mining.

Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at all levels. All
qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color,
religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age,
disability or genetic information, or any other applicable protected characteristics, and these
characteristics will not be a factor for consideration of any work-related decisions (including but
not limited to hiring, firing, compensation, and discipline).

Please note: This posting is intended to help Phoenix Tailings connect with people interested in future opportunities at our Rochester facility. Hiring timelines, responsibilities, qualifications, and organizational needs may continue to evolve as the Freedom Facility progresses toward startup and operations.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.