Senior Project Engineer

Mp Materials Corp.; Mountain Pass (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

MP Materials is seeking a Senior Project Engineer for the Mountain Pass, CA mine project. You will plan, coordinate, and execute capital projects to ensure they are completed on time, within scope, and within budget.

Work closely with project managers, engineers, contractors, and technical teams to track progress, resolve issues, and maintain quality standards. The role involves reviewing technical documents, managing schedules and cost updates, and ensuring safety and regulatory compliance

Qualifications

• BS or higher in Mechanical, Electrical or Chemical Engineering.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and documentation.

Responsibilities

• Deliver projects across Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning.
• Develop and update project schedules.
• Coordinate with Contractors and resolve issues.
• Monitor progress, costs, and safety/regulatory compliance.

Skills

Project leadership

Cost estimates & budgeting

Scheduling

Contract management

Communication

Regulatory compliance

Education

B.S. or higher in Mechanical, Electrical or Chemical Engineering

Tools

MS Project

Excel

Visio

Access

PowerPoint

Job description

Mountain Pass, CA, US

3 days ago Requisition ID: 2413

Salary Range:

$140,000 To $180,000 Annually

Company Overview:

MP Materials (NYSE: MP) is rebuilding American industrial capability for a new era of autonomy, robotics, and electrification.

We are the only U.S. company with a fully integrated rare earth supply chain—from mining and refining to advanced metal and magnet manufacturing. Our products include both the critical materials used to make permanent magnets and the finished magnets themselves—enabling next-generation technologies in robotics, automation, aerospace, transportation, defense, and energy systems. These materials are the foundation of physical AI—the convergence of computation, movement, and control.

We hire ambitious, mission-driven people who want to tackle complex challenges and shape the future of strategic industries. Our culture is rooted in teamwork, resiliency, and integrity, with a deep commitment to operational excellence and national purpose. MP is rapidly evolving from a materials producer into a leading U.S. manufacturer—and our people are driving that transformation.

Position Overview:

The Senior Project Engineer will be a member of our Mountain Pass, CA mine business. This role supports the planning, coordination, and execution of capital projects to ensure they are completed on time, within scope, and within budget. They work closely with project managers, engineers, contractors, and technical teams to track progress, resolve issues, coordinate RFI responses, and maintain quality standards. The role involves reviewing technical documents, managing schedules and cost updates, and ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory requirements.

Position Responsibilities:

• Responsible for project delivery across Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning functions.
• Assist with developing and regular updates to the project schedule.
• Proactively resolve performance, scope, and schedule issues with Contractors
• Supervises work to ensure it complies with the Initiation Task (project startup) List and PEP (Project Execution Plan)
• Monitor closure of all identified action items and manage risks and opportunities.
• Monitor procurement and contract process and progress throughout the project.
• Focus team on meeting milestones and other key project objectives.
• Incorporates safety, health, and environmental best practices and regulatory compliance into all engineering and project management activities, and ensures adherence to engineering principles, practices, and standards.

Basic Qualifications:

• B.S. or higher in Mechanical, Electrical or Chemical Engineering.
• Ability to understand, interpret, and communicate information from engineering drawings and documentation.
• Ability to deal effectively and confidently with ambiguity, assess situations rapidly, and take quick and appropriate action.
• 10 to 15 years’ experience in a project leadership role within industrial and/or high-tech manufacturing environments, including subject matter leadership for some combination of Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation & Controls, Materials, and/or Chemical disciplines.
• Medium to large sized capital project experience preferred.
• Familiarity or experience with commissioning and start-up of equipment and facilities.
• Must be able to understand and discuss cost estimates, budgets, actualized costs, forecasts, and schedules.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, Visio, Access, PowerPoint, MS Project)
• Demonstrated skill/knowledge in the following areas: Capital project management, Manufacturing plant support, Construction, Plant Engineering, Equipment design, Material handling equipment, Piping, Pneumatic equipment, Materials of construction, Structural design, Electrical and Instrumentation Design.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder skills

Desired Qualities:

• Team Player
• Desire and willingness to Learn
• Leadership experience and/or contributor on various subject matters
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills
• Disciplined and Detail Oriented
• Emotionally Intelligent
• Excellent Verbal and Written Communicator
• Valid Driver’s License requires company vehicles on property.

MP Materials is Proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affimative Action Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Underrepresented groups/Women/Disabled/Veterans are encouraged to apply. Candidates whose disabilities make them unable to meet the position’s requirements will still be considered qualified if they can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation.

Your Right to Work

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment verification document form upon hire.

Safety Provision

Employees are responsible for following all company, industry and regulatory procedures and laws to ensure a safe work environment for themselves and the company. Employees must have a willingness to promote safety among the workforce, participate in Process Hazard Analysis procedures and Pre-Startup Safety Reviews.

(PPE) Personal Protective Equipment is required when performing work in a mine, manufacturing, outdoor, or plant environment. Required PPE may include, but is not limited to, hard hat, hearing protection, safety glasses, safety footwear, respirator, rubber steel-toe boots, protective clothing, gloves, and any other protective equipment as required.

Employees must pass a full-face respiratory fit test. Employees must be able to lift 50 lbs. Must be able to work in PPE level C. These requirements are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the knowledge, skill, and ability required of the employee.

Working Conditions

Our facility sits at an elevation of 4,700 feet. Employees may be subject to extreme weather conditions when working in an outdoor setting (heat and cold, wind). Work is at an open pit mine or manufacturing/chemical plant setting, which may include exposure to moving mechanical parts, toxic chemicals, risk of electrical shock, explosives, fumes, or airborne particles.

Physical Demands

Manual dexterity; sense of touch; sense of smell; speaking clearly; hearing-speech range; hearing – all ranges; seeing, reading and comprehensions; seeing – distant/near; depth perception; color vision. While performing the job responsibilities, the employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is often required to stand and use their hands and fingers, to handle or feel and to manipulate laboratory equipment. The employee is occasionally required to walk, reach with arms and hands, climb or balance, and to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision. Employees must pass a full-face respiratory fit test. Employees must be able to lift 50 lbs. Must be able to work in PPE level C. These requirements are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the knowledge, skill, and ability required of the employee.