Director to VP of Process/Manufacturing & Engineering
Location: Seattle, WA / Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
The core of this position is someone who has directly taken a chemical or process manufacturing technology from early stage development through pilot and into commercial production. Specifically someone who has scaled a process based manufacturing system, liquids, heat, pressure, continuous or batch processing, from benchtop or pilot scale to revenue generating commercial scale.
Must have
- Direct experience scaling a process-based manufacturing system from pilot or bench scale to commercial production, ideally with clear quantifiable outcomes.
Strong preference
- Experience doing this scale-up within a startup or resource-constrained environment.
- Background in chemical or process engineering rather than mechanical or discrete manufacturing.
- Experience building operational, quality, and production infrastructure during the early commercialization phase.
- Quantifiable impact metrics around scaling chemical processes. This can take a few different forms, “ X size pilot to first $Y M/yr commercial production" or “Increased production Z%” etc.
Further, someone who has operated across engineering, supply chain, and operations, a true “operations-oriented engineer.” High level of independence and drive, ideally someone who proactively flags risks, pushes timelines, and takes ownership of execution.
This is a senior, execution-focused leader, responsible for translating our technology into safe, reliable, on-spec, and cost-disciplined production at scale via our external partner network. You will own the production and engineering strategy, including leading technology transfer, managing contract manufacturer (CM) performance, and driving EPC execution for facility expansion while working with executive leadership to set the strategy for continuous improvement and a large-scale manufacturing network. You will serve as the primary commercial and technical bridge between internal innovation team and the manufacturing environment. This role requires a leader who is equally comfortable turning a wrench, reviewing P& IDs, negotiating multi-million-dollar MSAs, and acting as the owner’s representative & quote, on major capital projects.
What You’ll Do
1. Strategic Technology Transfer and Scale-up
○ Lead the ‘Bench-to-Plant’ Interface: Manage the technical hand-off from internal development to external partners, ensuring processes are robust, documented, and ready for commercial-scale production.
○ Scale-Up Oversight: Steward production, quality, and throughput during the critical transition from pilot to commercial runs, troubleshooting as necessary
○ Process Integrity: Ensure high standards for quality and yield is maintained when processes leave our internal control and enter our partner network.
○ Manage all aspects of technology transfer from R&D to contract manufacturing partners, driving tonnage-scale, on-spec production.
○ Planning for Velocity: properly scope and strategically plan timelines to maintain a venture backed pace for scale-up
2. Contract Manufacturing Ownership and Commercial Strategy
○ Commercial Negotiation: Lead the negotiation of Master Service Agreements (MSAs), tolling fees, and other manufacturing contracts. You are responsible for structuring deals that align incentives and protect our interests.
○ Partner Management: Serve as the single point of accountability for CM relationships. Set, track, and enforce KPIs for quality, OTIF delivery, and yield.
○ COGs Ownership: Own the external production cost model and rigorously define cost drivers and partner with the finance team to forecast scenarios and define and refine unit economics.
3. EPC Leadership and Scale Up
○ Project Delivery Strategy: Select and manage the appropriate project delivery model (e.g. Design-Bid-Build vs EPCM) and lead the selection of EPC vendors
○ Front-End Definition: Provide rigorous oversight of FEL/FEED stages to lock in scope before capital commitment.
○ Owner’s Representative: Act as primary “Owner’s Rep” for all capital projects, holding external firms accountable for schedule, cost, quality, and safety performance, serving as decision maker of change orders.
○ Own the Build: Oversee the physical execution of facility upgrades or new builds, ensuring a seamless handover to operations.
○ Provide technical input into the strategy of where and how to manufacture product to support business growth
4. Quality, Safety, and Risk Management
○ EHS Compliance: Audit and enforce safety standards at CM and any external sites where we are operating.
○ Supply Chain Risk: Identify point of failure in our external network and develop contingency plans for capacity and logistics
○ Quality: Own and maintain Ravel’s quality management framework, including oversight of SOPs, documentation, and continuous improvement across internal operations and external partner.
What You’ll Bring
● B.S. or M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Process Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Chemistry or a closely related discipline, or equivalent experience gained through progressive responsibility in manufacturing operations. A PhD or MBA is a strong plus.
● 10+ years’ experience in chemical/process manufacturing, technology transfer, and/or contract manufacturing at pilot or commercial scale.
● Capital Projects Fluency: Demonstrated experience acting as the “Owner” on a capital project ($20M+). You understand the difference between FEL 1/2/3 and know how to control TIC.
● Commercial Acumen: Strong experience negotiating tolling agreements, joint development agreements, and construction contracts. You know how to structure a deal to protect IP and cash risk.
● Technical Authority: Ability to read PFDs/P&IDs and challenge engineering partners on design.
● Willingness to Travel: This role requires being present where the work is, at CMs and construction sites (approx 30-50% travel)
This is an opportunity to own manufacturing strategy and execution at a company scaling breakthrough technology into the real world. You will shape how we manufacture globally, with executive-level accountability for cost, quality, delivery, and facilities, and play a central role in the company’s next phase of growth.
Join a passionate, visionary team as we build a future where textile production and consumption are part of a sustainable, closed-loop system.
Traits and Characteristics:
● Hustle
● Team player (our team)
● Positive attitude
● 100% integrity
