Senior Production Engineer, Rare Earths Scale-Up

Phoenix Tailings; Exeter (NH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Stock options

Unlimited PTO

Learning opportunities

Great team

Job summary

Phoenix Tailings is seeking a hands-on Senior Production Engineer to launch and scale our first commercial rare earth metal production facility in Exeter, NH. You will work directly on the floor with operators, engineers, and plant leadership to turn breakthrough concepts into industrial reality—producing critical metals for modern technology.

You will scale systems, optimize operations, and drive continuous improvement while ensuring safety and adherence to high-quality standards in a

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead hands-on process troubleshooting and equipment optimization.
• Strong data-driven improvement mindset for downtime reduction and throughput increase.
• Experience in scaling pilot processes to full production lines.
• Comfortable on a production floor with rotating shift teams.

Responsibilities

• Operate and optimize next-generation metal production systems to meet throughput, yield, and quality targets.
• Lead root-cause investigations and implement corrective actions for process deviations or equipment issues.
• Drive data-driven improvements to reduce downtime and improve process reliability.
• Scale pilot metal recovery processes into full commercial production with minimal disruption.
• Develop and refine SOPs, process documentation, and training materials for safe operations.
• Support process commissioning and startup for new systems and upgrades in Exeter.
• Mentor operators and junior engineers to build operational excellence and safety culture.
• Serve as technical point of contact for day-to-day production issues and escalations.
• Partner with R&D, materials, and chemical engineering teams to integrate upstream and downstream processes.

Skills

Hands-on troubleshooting

Process optimization

Data analysis

Independent on floor

Operational excellence

Education

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

M.S. in Chemical Engineering

Materials Science

Job description

Phoenix Tailings is seeking a hands-on Senior Production Engineer to launch and scale our first commercial rare earth metal production facility in Exeter, NH. You will work directly on the floor with operators, engineers, and plant leadership to turn breakthrough concepts into industrial reality—producing critical metals for modern technology.

You will scale systems, optimize operations, and drive continuous improvement while ensuring safety and adherence to high-quality standards in a