Manufacturing Chief of Staff

Phoenix Tailings is a rapidly-growing clean mining and metals production startup dedicated to sustainable and economic critical metals production. Our mission is to be the world's first fully clean mining and metals production company, producing the resources needed for the next generation of our economy.

At Phoenix Tailings, we believe that nothing great is ever accomplished alone or without the passion of people who push and motivate one another. If you are someone who shares our relentless pursuit of a better future, passion for innovation, and are excited about working with some of the top innovators in the world, then this is the place for you

• You are only crazy if you are wrong, it's ok to be wrong - Say what you think even when it’s uncomfortable
• Lead with Compassion - Show up for your teammates, make the people around you better.
• Be Resourceful - Find a way with what you have, don't wait for more.
• Listen - Understand before you act, ask good questions before deciding.
• Hustle - Put your heart into every interaction, no matter how small.

Phoenix Tailings is looking for a Chief of Staff-Manufacturing to support our Chief Manufacturing Officer in building and scaling our rare-earth metal manufacturing facility in Exeter and additional facilities, including Rochester, NY. The ideal candidate has held significant delivery responsibility on industrial capital projects valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars or more, bringing disciplined project management and practical manufacturing experience.

Based in Exeter, you will translate manufacturing priorities into executable plans and drive accountability across facility buildout, equipment readiness, commissioning, and production ramp-up. You will help the Chief Manufacturing Officer manage competing priorities, evaluate capital and resource decisions, and resolve obstacles to safe, reliable production.

• Translate the Chief Manufacturing Officer’s priorities into an integrated manufacturing execution plan with defined work streams, milestones, budgets, and accountable owners across facilities.
• Drive major capital project work streams supporting manufacturing expansion, managing scope, schedules, dependencies, resources, and delivery commitments from planning through operational handover.
• Maintain visibility into capital budgets, committed spending, forecast costs at completion, and contingency requirements, surfacing variances and recommending corrective action.
• Lead schedule and risk reviews, identifying critical-path constraints, assessing changes, and driving recovery plans with clear owners and deadlines.
• Align manufacturing requirements with engineering, procurement, and construction plans, ensuring equipment selections, facility layouts, utilities, and installation sequences support production objectives.
• Drive operational readiness, coordinating equipment acceptance, staffing, operator training, operating procedures, maintenance systems, and production materials.
• Coordinate manufacturing participation in commissioning and startup, defining acceptance criteria, tracking outstanding issues, and driving closure before production handover.
• Run manufacturing and capital project reviews on behalf of the Chief Manufacturing Officer, preparing decision recommendations and holding internal teams and external partners accountable for commitments.
• Track production ramp-up against throughput, yield, quality, uptime, and cost targets, directing corrective initiatives with site leaders.
• Apply lessons from Exeter to Rochester and subsequent facilities, establishing repeatable delivery practices that integrate safety, quality, reliability, and capital discipline.