Staff Process Engineer
Staff Process Engineer Oakland, CA, Hybrid, or Remote with Regular Travel About Magrathea Magrathea is reinventing a foundation of modern civilization: secure, clean magnesium metal. Magnesium enables critical sectors - aerospace, defense, automotive, aluminum alloys, titanium production, and advanced manufacturing - yet 95% of global supply comes from coal-based production in China. That's not just a supply chain fragility - it's a national security exposure. We've developed a first-of-its-kind, electrolytic process to produce magnesium from seawater and brines - unlocking industrial independence and dramatically lowering environmental impact. We are backed by investors behind Tesla and SpaceX, major European industrial families, and the U.S. defense community. If you've ever wanted to change the trajectory of an industry - this is one of the rare chances. Is Magrathea for me? Magrathea is for people who: • Are builders, not spectators. • Run toward the hardest problems. • Want to leave behind infrastructure that reshapes economies. We are a tight, elite group scaling the first major electrolytic magnesium smelter of the 21st century. You will be hands-on from your first day, making decisions that move from pilot to steel in the ground in Arkansas - and metal poured on the other end. No bureaucracy. No filler work. Every contribution is mission-critical and will be remembered. What You'll Do You will be the technical force behind bringing a frontier technology to commercial scale - fast, safely, and elegantly. • Translate pilot learnings into industrial-grade design and execution plans for EPC/EPCM partners • Drive process engineering deliverables: design basis, PFDs, P&IDs, MFDs, plot plans, controls, HAZOPs, and model reviews • Design, develop, and help commission systems across hydrometallurgy, electrolysis, molten salts, solids drying/handling, refractories, and gas processing • Oversee fabrication, installation, start-up, and optimization of custom process equipment • Identify and solve high-leverage technical challenges to accelerate scale-up and reduce CapEx/OpEx • Implement AI-driven tools across engineering design, documentation, and knowledge-management systems to streamline workflows and maximize efficiency of our execution • Operate with high autonomy to anticipate risks, de-risk ambiguity, and make decisions in real-world environments • Travel as needed to Stamps, Arkansas (project site), Houston, Texas (joint venture partner HQ), and Montreal, Quebec (engineering company HQ) to drive execution and progress directly You'll be the person everyone counts on because you've done this before and you love doing it again. What You Bring • BS/MS in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline • 10+ years building, operating, and scaling real industrial processes - chemicals, metals, chlor-alkali, aluminum, or adjacent • Experience partnering with EPC/EPCM organizations on major capital projects - ideally FOAK or high-complexity systems • Fluency in inorganic chemistry, equipment design & maintenance, industrial hygiene, and operational readiness • Competence in schedule/risk management, construction oversight, and vendor coordination • You're known for executing - not just drawing diagrams on a screen • You bring pride, urgency, rigor, and calm under pressure Compensation & Benefits • $220,000–$270,000 annual salary + significant equity and milestone-based incentives • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision • 401(k) with immediate eligibility • True leadership opportunities on a program with global impact We pay high for talent that raises our ceiling. Location & Mobility • Preferred: Oakland, CA (on-site, co-located with the engineering core) • Remote considered for exceptional candidates within 4 hours of transit to the Bay Area, with monthly travel • Visa sponsorship available for passport holders of Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand Join Us If you're looking for the most challenging, consequential, and meaningful engineering 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. Apply tot his job