Senior Plant Manager | Houston, TX

Mineral Processing and Metallurgy
Texas, United States
May 20, 2026
$170,000 - $210,000 / year
Full-time
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Job Description

Company: Mariana Minerals
Location: Houston, Texas, United States (On-site)
Category: Mineral Processing and Metallurgy
Job Type: Full-time
Experience Level: Senior-Level
Salary: $170,000 – $210,000 USD / year

Job Summary
Mariana Minerals is seeking a Senior Plant Manager to lead the development and operation of its next-generation minerals processing pilot facility in Houston.

This role is responsible for establishing and operating a first-of-its-kind pilot plant, including site setup, equipment design, construction, commissioning, startup, and ongoing operations. The position will also build and lead a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technicians to develop, test, and optimize innovative refining processes for critical minerals.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead the design, construction, commissioning, and startup of Mariana’s Houston pilot plant facility
  • Oversee day-to-day pilot plant operations to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient execution of minerals refining processes
  • Oversee the design and execution of pilot-scale experiments to validate reaction parameters, optimize yields, and demonstrate process reproducibility
  • Drive the creation and maintenance of process documentation, including PFDs, P&IDs, mass and energy balances, and operating procedures
  • Recruit, build, and manage a team of engineers and technicians to support pilot plant development and operations
  • Collaborate with R&D, engineering, and commercial design teams to scale processes from lab development to commercial production
  • Own and manage the site budget, including capital expenditures, operating costs, and contractor/vendor management
  • Establish and enforce Environmental, Health & Safety and Process Safety Management programs and operational standards
  • Support the safe and effective scale-up of critical minerals refining technologies from pilot to industrial production

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Engineering or a related field
  • 10+ years of experience in operations, process scale-up, or plant design
  • Experience in minerals processing, chemicals, specialty materials, oil and gas, or related industries
  • Demonstrated experience leading equipment design, construction, commissioning, and startup
  • Strong understanding of relevant unit operations and equipment such as kilns, furnaces, ion exchange, solvent extraction, solid-liquid separation, leaching, electrowinning, or similar technologies
  • Experience translating R&D processes into pilot and commercial-scale operations
  • Proven experience implementing Environmental, Health & Safety and Process Safety Management programs
  • Strong leadership and project management skills with experience managing technical teams and complex projects
  • Comfortable working in fast-paced environments, wearing multiple hats, and managing ambiguity

Why This Role Matters
This role is critical to scaling innovative mineral refining processes from pilot plant development to commercial production, supporting the future supply of critical minerals through safe, reliable, and efficient operations.

Apply
👉 Apply online: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/marianaminerals/5f6be0eb-48ec-449f-8b29-a67eefaf3ae2

⚠️ Disclaimer
This job is shared for informational purposes. WeMineUp is not affiliated with the hiring company. Please apply through the official company process.

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