Pilot Plant Manager

Solcoa Industries; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meaningful equity

Job summary

Solcoa Industries in Alameda, CA is commissioning a new 24/7 pilot production line and seeks a Production Lead to own it end-to-end. You will run daily operations, manage safety, yield, uptime, and material flow, and report to the founders.

You will build the operator team, implement maintenance programs, track mass balance and inventory, and collaborate with engineering to scale the plant while ensuring safe, compliant operations.

Qualifications

• Degree in metallurgical, chemical, materials, or mechanical engineering (or equivalent hands-on depth).
• 5+ years in production operations at high-temperature metals or chemicals plant.
• Experience supervising hourly operators (hiring, training, scheduling, performance management).
• Track record of owning production metrics (yield, recovery, OEE, downtime).
• Hands-on maintenance fluency: read a P&ID, troubleshoot with a millwright, and know when to call the vendor.
• Comfortable in a startup environment with evolving SOPs and equipment commissioning.

Responsibilities

• Own production: Plan and execute production campaigns. Run daily operations of the pilot line, including furnace operations, casting, and downstream handling.
• Track and improve yield: Own the mass balance, track yield and recovery by campaign, identify loss mechanisms, drive corrective actions.
• Own maintenance: Build and run preventive maintenance, track equipment condition, schedule and direct maintenance, manage spares, minimize downtime.
• Build the operator team: Screen, interview, hire operators, develop training programs, SOPs, checklists, sign-offs.
• Manage the schedule: Own operator shift scheduling and coverage.
• Track feedstock and inventory: Manage receipt, storage, staging, consumption; maintain inventory and reorder points.
• Own safety on the floor: Enforce safe work around molten metal and high-temp furnaces; lead incident investigation and compliance.
• Close the loop with engineering: Log run data, flag deviations, feed learnings back into process development.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Troubleshooting

Safety awareness

Team development

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

P&ID reading

Maintenance scheduling

Equipment troubleshooting

Job description

Making the Metals Powering the World

Solcoa Industries is an American rare earth metals producer headquartered in Alameda, California.

We convert rare-earth oxides and magnet manufacturing scrap into the high-purity metals and alloys at the foundation of electrification, automation, and defense — the materials inside every fighter jet, EV, wind turbine, and phone.

For decades, the West has depended on China to produce these materials. Solcoa is rebuilding that supply chain at home: we're one of the very few producers outside China, and the only one developing new chemistries and a proprietary process to produce these metals at lower cost than conventional routes — without the harmful emissions.

The Role

We are commissioning a new 24/7 pilot production line at our Alameda facility and need someone to own it end-to-end. You will run the line as a production operation: safety, output, yield, uptime, people, and material flow. You will be the person accountable for how much metal the plant made this week.

You'll report directly to the founders and work alongside our engineering team.

What You'll Do

• Own production. Plan and execute production campaigns against output targets. Run daily operations of the pilot line, including furnace operations, casting, and downstream handling.

• Track and improve yield. Own the mass balance. Maintain yield and recovery tracking by campaign, identify loss mechanisms, and drive corrective actions.

• Own maintenance. Build and run the preventive maintenance program. Track equipment condition, schedule and direct maintenance work (in-house and contractor), manage spares inventory, and minimize unplanned downtime.

• Build the operator team. Screen, interview, and help hire operators. Develop the training program: SOPs, qualification checklists, and sign-offs. Train operators directly on equipment and procedures.

• Manage the schedule. Own operator shift scheduling and coverage.

• Track feedstock and inventory. Manage receipt, storage, staging, and consumption of oxide and magnet feedstocks, reductants, salts, crucibles, and consumables. Maintain accurate inventory and reorder points.

• Own safety on the floor. Enforce safe work practices around molten metal, high‑temperature furnaces, inert gas systems, and reactive materials. Lead incident investigation and near‑miss reporting. Support environmental and permitting compliance (BAAQMD, CUPA).

• Close the loop with engineering. Log run data, flag deviations, and feed operational learnings back into process development and the design of our commercial plant.

What We're Looking For

• Degree in metallurgical, chemical, materials, or mechanical engineering (or equivalent hands‑on depth).

• 5+ years in production operations at a high‑temperature metals or chemicals plant — smelting, foundry, specialty alloys, glass, or similar. You understand the chemistry and thermodynamics of what you run, not just the buttons.

• Direct experience supervising hourly operators: hiring, training, scheduling, performance management.

• Track record of owning production metrics — yield, recovery, OEE, downtime — and improving them.

• Hands‑on maintenance fluency: you can read a P&ID, troubleshoot alongside a millwright, and know when to call the vendor.

• Comfortable in a startup environment: incomplete SOPs, equipment still being commissioned, and the expectation that you'll build the systems that don't exist yet.

Details

• On‑site in Alameda, CA.

• Competitive salary + meaningful equity in a fast‑scaling company.