Chemical and Process Engineer

Chemical & Process Engineer

Charleston, South Carolina

About Red Metals

Red Metals is rethinking the domestic copper supply chain at a pivotal moment in American industry.

Copper underpins electrification, data centers, and defense systems. U.S. demand already exceeds domestic supply, and the gap is widening as grid modernization, the energy transition, and buildout of AI infrastructure accelerate.

We are building a new model for this critical industrial layer in the United States.

The Role

We are hiring a Chemical & Process Engineer to design, build, and operate our first copper processing and refining systems.

This is not a support role. You will take processes from first principles through design, commissioning, and production, and you will own performance, reliability, and output.

What You'll Do

• Lead process areas or systems, with the opportunity for team leadership as we scale
• Design copper processing flowsheets from feedstock through finished product
• Build mass and energy balances, process models, and size key equipment
• Select and integrate unit operations in a coherent, scalable system
• Work side by side with mechanical and controls engineers to build a functioning plant
• Lead commissioning, including hands-on troubleshooting on the plant floor
• Define operating procedures, control strategies, and process KPIs
• Analyze process data and drive improvements in yield, quality, and throughput
• Own metallurgical performance, including impurity management and product quality
• Work directly with vendors and contractors to execute quickly
• Contribute to controls and automation systems, using process data and AI to improve stability and continuously optimize

Red Metals Non-Negotiables

1. Bias for Action

   We move fast. Speed beats polish. We use every tool, especially AI, to accelerate decisions, execution, and learning.

2. Grit

   We do hard things because they matter. We keep pushing when others quit.

3. Ownership

   We own outcomes, not tasks. We see problems, fix them, and follow through across functions.

4. Signal

   We cut through noise. We communicate clearly and directly so decisions are fast and execution stays sharp.

5. Craft

   We take pride in our work. Quality, care, and precision are the standard.

What We're Looking For

• Degree in Chemical Engineering or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience demonstrating process engineering capability
• 3-8+ years process engineering experience, ideally in metals, mining, refining, or heavy industry
• Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics, reaction engineering, and separations, developed through education or practical experience
• Experience taking processes from design through commissioning into operation
• Comfortable working on the plant floor in an industrial environment
• Ability to operate with incomplete information and make sound decisions quickly
• Demonstrated ability or potential to lead projects or teams in a fast-moving environment

Strong Pluses:

• Experience with pyrometallurgy or processing of mined or secondary materials
• Experience with copper or other non-ferrous metals
• Experience commissioning industrial equipment
• Familiarity with process control systems and instrumentation
• Startup or early-stage experience

Why Red Metals

• Build a company from zero, not optimize an existing system
• Direct ownership of critical process and operational decisions
• Work on a problem that matters: rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity
• Small team, high trust, no bureaucracy

Location

This role is based in Charleston, South Carolina and requires on-site work.