We're looking for an exceptional capital projects leader to own the front-end engineering and eventual capital project execution for a first-of-its-kind advanced materials plant. The projects in scope today are in excess of $1B of CAPEX. This is a critical operating role where you will be the person directly accountable for turning ambitious process and facility concepts into a bankable, buildable, and ultimately operating industrial project. You will act as the beating heart of our internal design & pre-construction EPC team, coordinating with engineering, site operations, utilities, procurement, financial and external EPC+GC parties to ensure construction readiness and eventually smooth project execution across a complex multi-year program. You'll work at the intersection of process engineering, industrial construction, project finance, and software-native execution, making sure every technical, commercial, and schedule-critical workstream converges into a plant that can be built and run at scale.

Responsibilities

Own the integrated program plan for front-end engineering, site selection, permitting, procurement, commercial readiness, and capital project execution
Drive front-end engineering (FEED) deliverables across internal engineers, external EPC firms, permitting specialists, equipment vendors, utilities, and commercial counterparties
Translate technical objectives into a disciplined execution roadmap with clear owners, milestones, risk registers, decision gates, and schedule-critical dependencies
Lead project controls for a large industrial capital project, including schedule, budget, scope, change control, procurement status, and executive reporting
Coordinate production of core engineering packages, including basis of design, PFDs, P&IDs, equipment lists, layouts, utility requirements, safety packages, permitting packages, and cost estimates
Own the project data room and diligence package required for financing, government funding, customer offtake, and partner decision-making
Drive site-selection and site-control workstreams, ensuring candidate sites are evaluated against engineering, logistics, utilities, permitting, environmental, schedule, and expansion requirements
Coordinate long-lead equipment strategy, vendor engagement, EPC bids, and early procurement decisions needed to compress time to construction and operation
Identify and escalate execution risks early, especially around permitting, utilities, construction sequencing, vendor lead times, commercial agreements, and technical scope gaps
Build the operating cadence that lets a small, high-caliber team move faster than traditional capital project organizations without losing engineering rigor

Qualifications

Proven success leading complex technical programs with many interdependent engineering, commercial, vendor, and executive stakeholders
Experience managing front-end engineering, FEED, EPC, industrial construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, energy, chemicals, mining, semiconductors, aerospace, or comparable capital-intensive programs of $100M-$1B CAPEX scale
Strong technical fluency with process engineering and industrial facility design deliverables, including PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specifications, utility systems, layouts, permitting packages, and cost estimates
AI native: proven track record of fast AI and software adoption to accelerate common jobs and tasks in the scope of desing + estimation EPCs
Demonstrated ability to build project schedules, own project controls, track critical paths, manage scope changes, and force decisions under uncertainty
Experience coordinating external engineering firms, EPC contractors, permitting consultants, equipment vendors, utilities, customers, financiers, or government stakeholders
Ability to operate with founder-level ownership: you notice what is missing, create structure where none exists, and drive workstreams to completion without waiting for perfect instructions
Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to produce crisp executive updates, technical decision memos, business cases, and diligence-ready project documentation
Good cost estimation skills and a proven ability to obtain estimates quickly with only limited data available
Experience with advanced materials, specialty chemicals, energy systems, semiconductors, defense industrial base programs, or critical minerals is a plus
B.S. degree in engineering, construction management, operations, or a related technical field is required
PMP, P.E., MBA, M.S. in engineering, or equivalent project leadership credential is a plus

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $200K – $300K

Significant equity compensation aligned with public benchmarks for senior early team members

Your actual compensation will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: location, job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

We offer comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, company 401(k) and other benefits. We have a flexible paid time-off (PTO) policy

American Advanced Materials jobs

Head of Capital Projects

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