Senior Process Engineer, Finishing

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.

MP Materials is seeking a hands‑on senior process engineer to be an integral part of the team building and operating a new metal, alloy, and magnet‑making facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The senior process engineer specializes in the surface finishing of components such as pre‑treatment (i.e. cleaning, pickling) and coating (i.e. passivation, plating, epoxy coating etc.), wire slicing, grinding and chamfering.

The role requires a combination of technical expertise, problem‑solving skills, and collaborative abilities to drive the development and optimization of cleaning/coating process as well as wire slicing/grinding and chamfering operations. The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience in surface finishing/coating/plating/painting operations as we as some exposure to machining processes. The process engineer must be comfortable with failure analysis, continuous improvements, equipment fault diagnosis, and process development.

• Develop, optimize, and maintain coating process for Neodymium magnets.
• Implement process monitoring and control systems to maintain optimal coating conditions, maximize conformity, yield and throughput.
• Work with grinding/slicing engineers to hit throughput and process optimization goals.
• Collaborate with different teams and external vendors to operate, optimize and maintain coating and wastewater processing units.
• Troubleshoot equipment and process issues, root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions to resolve production disruptions and improve process robustness.
• Lead technical support and training to production personnel on coating techniques, equipment operation, and safety procedures.
  Lead process improvements, failure analysis, defect reduction, root cause analysis, and fault diagnostics.
• Define coating parameters, machine and bath specifications, and quality standards to ensure consistent production performance and adherence to customer requirements.
• Mentor and coach entry level engineers and technicians.
• Manage process improvement projects from concept to implementation, including scope, costing, justification, and verification.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science and relevant field.
• 5-10 years of experience in process engineering roles focused on surface finishing, such as coating, plating, slicing and grinding.
• Experience of implementing statistical process control (SPC) for industrial manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of surface finishing principles, chemistry and process engineering of coating/plating and industrial coating technologies.
• Experience of handling acidic, and alkaline baths and wastewater units for industrial coating/plating/paint technologies.
• Proficient with statistical analysis tools and methodologies for process optimization (e.g., Six Sigma, Design of Experiments, Root). Six sigma green belt would be preferred.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and the ability to analyze complex technical issues and develop practical solutions.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to collaborate cross‑functionally with…