Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) — Hydrometallurgical Metals Refinery Location: United States (remote with regular site travel) Role type: Full-time, long-term executive leadership Reports to: Founder & CEO About the company We are a U.S.-based hydrometallurgical metals refinery producing refined critical metals using waste lithium-ion battery materials as feedstock. Our facilities integrate front-end battery materials processing with downstream patent-pending hydrometallurgical refining, including: Battery discharge and dismantling Shredding and physical materials separation Hydrometallurgical refining and purification The individual technologies are commercially proven and mature. Our differentiation lies in their integration into a single, continuous refinery operation designed to process diversified battery scrap at commercial scale and a patent-pending hydrometallurgical refinement flow sheet. We operate as a metals refinery, not a waste services business. Role overview We are seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join the executive team and own the financial integrity, capital strategy, and economic discipline of a commercial hydrometallurgical refinery business. This is a long-term CFO role spanning final development, construction, commissioning, steady-state operations, and future facility replication. The CFO partners closely with engineering, operations, and commercial leadership to ensure the refinery is financed, built, and operated on a bankable and economically sustainable foundation. Key Roles Co-Development of proprietary financial systems architecture related to company operations (Integrated CRM/ERP/Operations/Accounting) Oversight and management of construction & commissioning budgets Ongoing operational oversight related to financial systems architecture & management of accounting level operations Strategic collaboration with c-suite regarding company wide growth, expansion, and diversification goals Collaboration with C-Suite regarding company equities, finanical vehicles, and structures This role is a hands-on executive position focused on owning plant-level economics and financial execution; it is not an advisory or transaction-focused role. Key responsibilities 1. Integrated plant financial model ownership Own and maintain a single, first-principles financial model for the entire integrated facility, including: Front-end battery materials processing (discharge, dismantling, shredding, materials separation) Downstream hydrometallurgical refining and metals recovery Integrate full buy-side and sell-side economics into the model, including: Feedstock procurement and payable structures Product pricing assumptions and realizations Working capital impacts across purchasing, inventory, and sales cycles Tie economics directly to: Battery scrap feedstock composition and variability Front-end processing performance and yields Metallurgical recoveries and refining performance Throughput, uptime, and operating availability Product mix and realized metal pricing Ensure assumptions are explicit, traceable, and defensible across the full plant. Serve as the internal authority on plant-level, buy-side, and sell-side economics. 2. Construction, commissioning, and operating finance Lead financial oversight for: Construction of a commercial integrated processing and refining facility Commissioning and ramp-up Transition into steady-state operations Manage: Construction cash flows and draw schedules CAPEX tracking, forecasting, and change management Operating budgets, cost control, and margin performance Establish financial systems and controls appropriate for a continuous metallurgical operation 3. Process-aware financial leadership Work directly with: Metallurgists and chemical engineers Battery materials processing teams Operations and maintenance leadership Translate process performance into: OPEX and sustaining CAPEX forecasts Cash flow and margin analysis Reconcile modeled expectations with actual plant performance over time 4. Capital strategy and fundraising Lead current and future capital activities, including: Engagment with investment bankers as needed Institutional equity Strategic partners Project finance or structured debt Define: Capital structure Use-of-funds strategies Construction and operating cash profiles Act as the primary financial counterpart to investors, lenders, and the board 5. Metals markets, hedging, and integrated pricing discipline Maintain a deep understanding of relevant metals commodities markets, including: Nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese, copper, and graphite Index structures, payables, and pricing mechanisms Evaluate hedging and risk-management mechanisms for refined metals, including: Futures, swaps, and other instruments where applicable Fixed-price, floating-price, and hybrid structures Timing, basis risk, and exposure management Translate metals market dynamics into realized product pricing assumptions, accounting for: Commodity price volatility Working capital and inventory exposure Integrate sale-side pricing realities directly into plant economics by: Stress-testing margins under commodity volatility Evaluating downside and upside cases across market environments Use this integrated view to support and inform feedstock pricing strategy, ensuring: Pricing accounts for operating costs, hedging costs, and margin durability Provide analytical support to the commercial team on pricing frameworks, market-linked contract structures, and risk-adjusted economics Support pricing discipline without owning commercial negotiations or deal execution 6. Long-term financial leadership Build and lead the finance organization as the business matures. Establish governance across: Budgeting and forecasting Cash management and capital allocation Board, investor, and lender reporting Serve as a durable executive partner through operations and expansion Required experience and background Mandatory 10+ years of senior finance experience in metals refining, hydrometallurgy, chemicals, or industrial processing Direct involvement in commercial metallurgical facilities exceeding $100MM Experience supporting construction and operation of hydromet plants and integrated processing facilities with front-end materials preparation Demonstrated ability to own asset-level financial models integrating operating, buy-side, and sell-side economics Relevant technical and industry experience Familiarity with hydrometallurgical refining environments Experience with shredding and materials separation as part of an integrated plant Experience with battery scrap recycling as feedstock for metals production Experience with battery-relevant metals including nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese, copper, and graphite What this role is not This is not a waste management or recycling services business This is not a pilot-scale or R&D-focused operation This is not an advisory or transaction-oriented finance role This role does not own commercial negotiations or deal execution What success looks like A bankable, defensible financial model covering the full integrated plant, including buy-side and sell-side economics On-budget construction and stable commercial operations Pricing decisions grounded in recoveries, market reality, and operating costs High confidence from lenders, investors, and counterparties A finance function capable of supporting repeatable facility deployment Compensation Meaningful long-term equity participation Opportunity to help build critical U.S. metals refining infrastructure Founder note We are building a commercial hydrometallurgical refinery that produces refined metals from waste lithium-ion battery materials. This is a real industrial operation, not an experiment or a services business. The CFO we bring on will be a long-term partner in ensuring the financial integrity, capital discipline, and economic sustainability of the plant as it moves from construction into steady-state operations and future replication. Closing statement This is an opportunity to join the executive team of a commercial hydrometallurgical refinery and help build durable U.S. battery metals infrastructure. We are intentionally selective in this search and are looking for a CFO with deep industrial experience who understands metallurgical operations, commodities markets, and the discipline required to operate a commercial refinery sustainably over the long term. #J-18808-Ljbffr Battery Metals