Director, Utah Operations
About Magrathea
Based in Oakland, California, Magrathea is a global category leader in critical mineral production technology. Our mission is to rebuild the magnesium metal supply base, delivering secure access to one of the most critical materials on Earth. Magnesium is essential to the aluminum, steel, titanium, nuclear, defense, and aerospace industries but 95% of global supply comes from China where large amounts of coal are used to make metal. This isn’t just an economic risk: it’s a national security threat, and Magrathea is fixing it. We’ve developed a next-generation electrolytic process to make magnesium metal from seawater and brines, unlocking a new path to industrial independence and to a cleaner environment for future generations. We’re backed by the earliest believers in Tesla and SpaceX, major European industrial families, and the U.S. Department of Defense. If you’re ready to make a lasting real-world impact, let's talk.
Is Magrathea For Me?
You'll be joining a small, high-trust team of builders developing an electrolytic magnesium production demonstration plant in the Salt Lake City Area. You will be the person who builds the team and runs it. The facility will produce magnesium metal and the reliable operating data needed to validate the process and inform future commercial project development. You'll be hands-on from day one, on the ground and shaping the facility from detailed engineering drawings through construction, startup, and demonstration operations. If you're the kind of person who is energized by hard, consequential problems, stays clear, calm, and effective when the work is ambiguous or urgent, and wants to build something that will matter far beyond the company, this role is for you.
What This Role Involves
This is a hands-on build-and-operate role, with responsibility for a demonstration plant where disciplined operating campaigns and reliable data are central to success.
You'll help design the facility, get it built, bring it to life, and then run it. You'll review P&IDs and 3D models with engineers, walk the site with our host-site partner and contractors, chase long-lead equipment, write the operating procedures, lead commissioning and startup, and then own day-to-day production, safety, cost, quality, and operating data.
One day you may be flagging an operability problem before it gets built into steel; the next you may be leveling a skid, resolving a permitting question with regulators, or training the first operators we hire. This role is for someone who wants to build a plant, not inherit one. Operate, not observe.
Ideal Background
10+ years in high-accountability operating environments in chemical or minerals processing, metals, manufacturing, energy, or heavy industry with previous experience in senior site management, operations, or plant leadership
Demonstrated experience commissioning and starting up a new plant, process unit, or major capital project, not just running an established one
Demonstrated ability to lead an operations team, set clear expectations, and hold operators accountable for safe production and reliable data collection
Experience coaching and qualifying operators through practical training
Demonstrated ability to interpret process trends, diagnose deviations, and translate findings into corrective actions and documented learning
Strong process engineering fluency: able to read and critique PFDs, P&IDs, mass/energy balances, and equipment specs, and to engage substantively with detailed engineering
Proven safety leadership in a hazardous-process environment, with working knowledge of PSM, HAZOP/PHA, and OSHA/EPA requirements
Track record owning production, cost, reliability, and quality targets, with P&L or operating-budget ownership
Comfort with spreadsheets, production reporting, and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS)
Comfort working shoulder-to-shoulder with engineers, operators, vendors, contractors, regulators, and executives
Willingness to be based in the Ogden, Utah area and physically present on-site through construction, commissioning, and operations
Bonus: hydrometallurgy, magnesium/brine/lithium processing, titanium production, chlor-alkali, molten-salt or high-temperature processing, skid-based/modular facilities, process simulation (e.g., Metsim), EPC delivery, or government-funded programs
You’ll Thrive Here If
You get energy from turning an empty building into a running plant
You are comfortable switching between engineering review and hands-on problem-solving many times in the same day
You are a strong writer, clear thinker, and persistent, thoughtful, and dependable follow-through person
You can earn credibility with engineers, operators, executives, investors, and government and regulatory stakeholders
You do not need a large team, a clean org chart, or perfect information to be effective
You take pride in doing unglamorous work - the checklist, the punch list, the procedure - extremely well when that is what the mission requires
You treat safety as personal and non-negotiable
Compensation
Salary range: $180,000-$240,000 annually, commensurate with experience
Equity, stock options, and/or milestone-based compensation
Health, dental, and vision insurance
401k from day 1 with pre-tax and post-tax investing options
Role Expectations
Own the safe, compliant, on-budget delivery of the Ogden demonstration facility — first as a project being built, then as a plant producing magnesium and scale-up data
Serve as our senior operational presence on the ground, interfacing daily with our host-site partner, EPC/engineering firms, contractors, and equipment vendors
Bring operational judgment into detailed engineering: review PFDs, P&IDs, 3D models, and skid layouts, and flag operability, safety, and maintainability issues before they are built in
Drive site integration and civil/building requirements: equipment placement and leveling, drainage, piping, utilities, and clearances
Define and prioritize long-lead equipment and purchase orders early enough to protect the schedule
Plan and lead commissioning and startup: procedures, run books, training, first feedstock, and ramp-up; keep operating procedures current as the process evolves
Own plant performance: production, uptime, yield, quality, and unit cost; manage feedstock and consumables efficiently and oversee safe material receipt and handling
Set daily operating priorities, review shift logs and process trends, and coordinate troubleshooting and corrective actions with operators and engineers
Work with engineering to plan operating campaigns, define data collection requirements, and document results that guide process improvements and commercial scale-up
Coordinate preventive maintenance, repairs, and planned outages with engineering and maintenance resources to support reliable operation
Build the site safety and environmental program and hold the line on PSM, OSHA, EPA, and Utah DEQ compliance, including air emissions, water discharges, and waste management
Lead safety meetings and site inspections; support process hazard reviews and regulatory audits, and follow corrective actions through to closure
Recruit, hire, and develop the site team, starting with a lead process engineer and core operations staff; directly manage all plant operators, including training, work assignments, and performance
Manage the site budget and, at steady state, hold site operating budget and cost control; support capital cost definition and FID decisions for leadership and the board
Step into whatever urgent workstream matters most to get the plant built and running, even when it does not fit neatly into a job description
Location
Full-time in-person at our facility in Salt Lake City Area, Utah
Magrathea sponsors visas for candidates from Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand
A Note on Qualifications
Research shows that some candidates are less likely to apply unless they meet every listed qualification. We do not want that to stop the right person from reaching out. If you are excited by Magrathea’s mission and believe you can succeed in a hands-on, high-ownership role, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every requirement.
Join Us
If you’re looking for the most challenging, consequential, and meaningful work of your career - this is the moment. Help us build the clean industrial base future generations will inherit. Help us restore independence to a security-critical strategic metal. Make history with us.