Program Manager (Technical)

PHNX Materials Inc.; San Leandro (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive cash and meaningful equity

Opportunity to impact domestic mineral

On-site, hands-on role

Job summary

PHNX Materials in San Leandro, CA is seeking a Technical Program Manager to turn a technical roadmap into a concrete master schedule and drive it to execution. You will own the master schedule across process engineering, R&D, procurement, construction, and commissioning, coordinating daily with engineering, field operators, and EPC partners, and identifying risk before it hits the critical path.

This on-site role requires reading P&ID diagrams, coordinating cross-functional teams, and

Qualifications

• Engineering undergrad degree required; masters preferred.
• Experience running technical programs in hardware/manufacturing environments.
• Ability read P&ID and validate schedule against engineering constraints.
• Proven track record of high output and excellence.

Responsibilities

• Program & Schedule Ownership: build the master schedule across engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning for both sites.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: run the operating cadence between engineering, research, field ops, EPC partners, and procurement.
• Site Readiness & Commissioning: coordinate equipment procurement, logistics, and commissioning planning; drive readiness reviews.
• Risk Management: own the risk register and drive issues to resolution before they cascade.
• Reporting: maintain program status for CEO, CTO, investors, and DOE/DoW program managers.

Skills

Program management

Scheduling

Cross-functional coordination

Technical communication

Education

Engineering degree

Masters preferred

Job description

About PHNX Materials

China controls 98% of the world's gallium, 92% of germanium, and 93% of silicon. In 2024, China weaponized export restrictions on gallium and germanium, putting the vulnerability on full display. Each of these metals is a byproduct of heavy industry that no longer exists in the United States. We cannot reshore the supply chain because the underlying industries are gone.

PHNX is the Department of Energy's and Department of War's answer to closing that gap. We are a "solids refinery" turning industrial waste, primarily coal ash and zinc slag, into three product streams: critical metals for semiconductors and defense, cement replacement material for construction, and fertilizer for agriculture.

Our platform delivers a triple win: securing domestic critical mineral supply chains, helping power producers retire coal ash liabilities, and giving concrete producers a cheaper, lower-carbon alternative to cement. We support coal communities, and remediate groundwater. PHNX was founded by Stanford, Tesla, and national lab alumni, backed by Trust Ventures, Overture, and KdT, and sponsored by the U.S. Department of War and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Role: Technical Program Manager

Our process is moving from a pilot scale facility in San Leandro, CA to a demonstration facility at a coal power plant in Ohio to a commercial facility. You will be the person who turns that technical roadmap into a real schedule and drives it to execution.

The core of the job is program management in a hard-tech environment: building and owning the master schedule across process engineering, R&D, procurement, construction, and commissioning; coordinating daily between our engineering team, field operators, and EPC/construction partners; and catching technical and schedule risk before it hits the critical path.

You will own the program plan that determines whether PHNX hits its site milestones in Ohio and commercial milestones.

What You Will Own

1. Program & Schedule Ownership. Build and maintain the master schedule spanning process engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning for both the Ohio demo site and the commercial facility. Translate the CTO/ VP of Engineering's technical roadmap into concrete milestones, dependencies, and critical path.

2. Cross-Functional Coordination. Run the operating cadence between engineering, research, field ops, EPC/construction partners, and procurement. Convert technical decisions into site plans and weekly priorities.

3. Site Readiness & Commissioning. Coordinate equipment procurement, logistics, and commissioning planning across both sites. Run site readiness reviews and drive open items to closure.

4. Risk Management. Own the technical and schedule risk register. Identify issues in real time - a permitting delay, a long-lead equipment slip, a process design change - and drive them to resolution before they cascade.

5. Reporting. Maintain program status reporting for the CEO, CTO, investors, and DOE/DoW program managers. Keep documentation of technical decisions and process changes current.

Who You Are: 3 - 5 years after college

• Engineering undergraduate degree, required. Masters degree preferred. Mechanical, chemical, process, or materials preferred- you should be able to read a process flow diagram or P&ID, sanity-check a schedule against real engineering constraints, and hold your own with process engineers and site operators.

• Track record running technical programs in a hardware, manufacturing, industrials, or process/chemical plant environment. This is not a software TPM role. We need someone who has managed schedules against physical constraints (equipment lead times, construction sequencing, commissioning), not just sprints.

• High-output track record. We are not impressed by pedigree alone, but we do expect evidence of sustained excellence.

• Comfortable doing the unglamorous work: chasing down a vendor delivery date, fixing a broken schedule, walking a site at 6am, then presenting status to the board the next day.

• Direct communicator. You write clearly, push back when something is wrong, and do not hide behind hedges or buzzwords.

• Excited to spend time on-site.

What We Offer

• A seat at a company building the domestic supply chain for critical minerals and a cleaner cement industry.

• Real execution - owning a program that determines whether hard-tech infrastructure gets built on schedule.

• Competitive cash and meaningful equity.

• A team that ships, holds a high bar, and treats this work as the most important thing we will ever do.

Note: We can only hire U.S. nationals due to obligations around our funding.

PHNX Materials is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.