Sr. Process Controls Engineer

Mariana Minerals; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Mariana Minerals is seeking a highly motivated Process Controls Engineer to help build the critical minerals supply chain. You will lead the development and deployment of refining processes and contribute to software for capital project execution and plant optimization.

From concept through design, installation, commissioning, ramp, and handover to operations, you will guide equipment scopes, manage external partners, mentor junior engineers, and drive automation across projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering required; experience in process controls preferred.
• Experience leading capital projects >$5M in manufacturing or mining sectors.
• Strong fundamentals in process control and instrumentation.
• Experience with design, procurement, and commissioning.

Responsibilities

• Develop standards for controls programming.
• Lead equipment scopes from concept through ramp and handover.
• Manage external providers for integrated mineral refining scopes.
• Drive cross-functional teams to scale-up and de-risk novel refining processes.
• Mentor junior process engineers.
• Develop technoeconomic models for projects and technologies.
• Prepare bankable engineering deliverables for finance reviews.
• Identify and evaluate software tools for process engineering and project management.
• Support automation of capital project workflows and plant control algorithms.

Skills

Controls engineering

Project leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

Mentorship

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Process simulation software

Automation software

CAPEX management tools

Job description

About Mariana Minerals

Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company on a mission to supply the critical minerals powering modern energy, AI, and defense technologies. We’re reimagining the minerals supply chain by combining deep industry expertise with advanced software, automation, and data-driven decision-making.

Role Overview

Mariana Minerals is looking for a highly motivated Process Controls Engineer to work on building the critical minerals supply chain.

As a Process Controls Engineer at Mariana Minerals, you will lead the development and deployment of first-of-its-kind chemical refining processes, while also playing a critical role in the development of software for capital project execution and automated plant optimization. Responsibilities will include leading equipment and plant-wide controls infrastructure and programming scopes from concept through to design, installation, commissioning, ramp, and handover to the operations team, and supporting the buildout of an in-house engineering team.

What You’ll Do

• Develop standards for controls programming

• Lead equipment scopes from concept and modeling validation, through procurement, engineering, fabrication, installation, commissioning, and ramp

• Manage external equipment providers, technology licensors, and engineering companies to deliver fully integrated and functional mineral refining scopes

• Drive cross-functional teams of lab technicians, pilot plant engineers, process engineers, and project engineers to lead the technical equipment scale-up and de-risk the commercialization of novel mineral refining processes

• Support the hiring, mentorship, and day-to-day management of junior process engineers

• Develop technoeconomic models of new project opportunities, acquisition targets, and new technologies to inform business development

• Prepare and present bankable engineering deliverables to support project financing partners due diligence reviews

• Identify, evaluate, and implement process engineering and project management software tools

• Identify and support opportunities for the software and machine learning teams to automate capital project execution workflows and develop advanced plant control algorithms

What You’ll Bring

• Strong understanding of engineering fundamentals and demonstrated ability to leverage the understanding to solve challenging problems

• Experience with equipment engineering and design. Including but not limited to:

• Brownfield equipment modifications and upgrades

• Greenfield equipment design

• Evaluation and optimization of operating equipment

• Experience with the following industries and/or production environments:

• Industrial manufacturing

• Large-scale mining or mineral processing

• Large-scale chemical production processes

• Engineering, procurement, and construction firms

• Experience with direct or indirect leadership of engineers and technicians

• Experience with project management and execution of medium to large scale (>$5M) capital projects

Our culture is built on four principles:

Everyone Gets Home Safe. We never put speed or cost ahead of people.

Extreme Ownership. We take full responsibility for outcomes, relentlessly driving toward solutions.

Engineer Out Requirements, then Automate. We simplify, optimize, and then automate for scale.

Share Your Legos. We collaborate openly, share knowledge, and empower each other to build bigger, better solutions.

Join us as we build the future of responsible mineral sourcing and supply!