Plant Director

Phoenix Tailings; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 192,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare: 100% medical, dental, and–

Job summary

Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is building a new Rochester Freedom Facility for commercial-scale rare earth separation. We seek an experienced Plant Director to lead startup, safety, and performance as we produce thousands of tons of separated oxides annually.

You will build the operating organization, establish procedures, train staff, and drive cost-effective production while shaping the culture and leadership needed for ongoing success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Management, or related field.
• Significant leadership experience in continuous-process industries.
• Proven track record leading plant operations with safety, quality, and production accountability.
• Experience supporting commissioning, startup, or scale-up projects.
• Ability to build operating organizations and training systems.
• Knowledge of safety, environmental performance, and reliability metrics.
• Experience managing staffing and budgets with data-driven decisions.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the site operating organization for startup and operations.
• Prepare workforce and plant systems for commissioning and startup.
• Establish operating procedures and training for safe, reliable production.
• Own site safety, environmental performance, and production results.
• Manage site budgets and staffing against the operating plan.
• Resolve bottlenecks with cross-functional teams and drive improvements.
• Develop site leaders and safe execution culture.

Skills

Leadership experience

Plant operations

Safety management

Budgeting and cost control

Team development

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Industrial management or related field

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. We encourage interested candidates to apply, learn more about what we are building, and stay connected as we develop our facility.

Phoenix Tailings is looking for an experienced plant and operations leader who is looking to become the future Plant Director of our Rochester Freedom Facility, a commercial-scale rare earth separation operation designed to produce thousands of tons of separated rare earth oxides annually.

The Plant Director will build and lead the operating organization for the facility, with responsibility for preparing the site and workforce for startup and then leading site safety, production, quality, staffing, and overall plant performance once operations begin.

This is an opportunity for an experienced industrial leader to help build a major U.S. rare earth processing operation from the ground up and play a central role in developing the people, systems, and operating culture needed to run the facility successfully.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and lead the site operating organization, establishing departmental responsibilities, staffing plans, and leadership routines for startup and sustained operations
• Prepare the workforce and plant systems for commissioning and startup, coordinating readiness reviews and turnover with the capital projects organization
• Establish operating procedures, workforce training, maintenance coordination, and performance systems needed for safe and reliable continuous production
• Own site safety, environmental performance, product quality, and production results, ensuring operating priorities are supported by clear accountability
• Manage site budgets and staffing against the operating plan, using cost, uptime, throughput, and quality information to guide decisions
• Resolve production bottlenecks and reliability issues with operations, engineering, maintenance, and support teams, turning performance data into practical improvements
• Develop site leaders and a working culture of safe execution, accurate reporting, operator capability, and timely follow-through on operating problems

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Management, or a related field
• Significant leadership experience in chemical manufacturing, refining, mining, metals, specialty chemicals, or another continuous-process industrial environment
• Demonstrated success leading plant operations or a complex manufacturing organization with accountability for safety, quality, production, and operating performance
• Experience supporting commissioning, facility startup, operational readiness, or major production scale-up, including coordination with project teams and equipment partners
• Ability to build operating organizations, develop site leaders, and establish procedures and training systems for a growing workforce
• Working knowledge of industrial safety, environmental performance, process equipment, maintenance reliability, and the controls needed for consistent production
• Experience managing staffing and operating budgets and using production, cost, and reliability metrics to prioritize improvements in a developing facility

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: $192,000-$280,000 per year

• 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.

At 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:

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.