9.7. Scientific Chief of Staff

About the Company Phoenix Tailings is a U.S.-based rare earth metals company building the most technologically advanced rare earth manufacturing platform in the world. The company develops and deploys breakthrough technologies across chemistry, industrial hardware, and digital infrastructure to produce rare earth metals and critical materials domestically at lower cost, higher efficiency, and greater scale. About the Role Our Technology and R&D organization is led by the CTO. We are hiring a Chief of Staff to be his right hand: owning project management across R&D and Technology, keeping the team aligned on priorities, and serving as the connective tissue between science and the business. This is a dedicated role within the CTO's organization, distinct from the company-wide Chief of Staff supporting the CEO. This role is a technical program management and organizational position, not a bench-science role. You need sufficient fluency in chemistry to understand how the pieces fit together, where a delay in one workstream blocks another, and how business priorities should influence R&D work. What you will do Serve as the CTO's day‑to‑day right hand – managing his priorities, preparing for cross‑functional and executive conversations, and closing the loop on commitments after they’re made. Own project management and operating cadence across R&D and Technology: stand‑ups, roadmap reviews, milestone tracking, and the discipline that keeps commitments visible and on track. Track dependencies across Deep R&D (chemistry, hydrometallurgy, separations, analytical) and the broader Technology function – understanding how technical pieces combine and where delays block other work. Translate business, commercial, and operations priorities into a technical roadmap the team can execute against, and translate technical progress into language the rest of the business and executive team can act on. Partner with the VP of Technology and other technical leads to surface risk early, resolve ambiguous ownership, and keep decisions from stalling. Prepare materials and talking points for board, executive, and investor updates on technical progress. Build processes that the organization doesn’t have yet – meeting hygiene, documentation, decision tracking, escalation paths – without adding bureaucracy to a fast‑moving lab environment. Who you are 5–8 years in technical program management, R&D operations, or a chief‑of‑staff‑style role supporting a technical or scientific executive/organization. Experience in materials science, chemistry, battery, mining, or hardware/deep‑tech environments strongly preferred. Track record of building the operating rhythm for complex, multi‑workstream technical programs – creating cadence and follow‑through beyond a spreadsheet. Enough technical/scientific fluency to follow how a chemistry‑heavy R&D organization’s workstreams connect and depend on each other. Skilled at translating between scientific/technical teams and commercial or executive stakeholders. High trust, low ego, discreet – you’ll see the full picture of technical strategy before most of the company does. Comfortable being the operational backbone for a technical leader deep in the science – you create rigor without becoming a bottleneck. Nice to have PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, or materials science. Direct lab, process engineering, or R&D execution experience. Startup or scale‑up experience where you built process rather than inherited it. What we Offer This pay range reflects best estimate for the total cash compensation which includes salary + discretionary bonus for this role. Total package may vary based on experience and qualifications. Pay Range: $165,000-$215,000 total cash compensation plus equity. Healthcare: 100% Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employee. Stock Options: Ownership in a fast‑growing venture‑backed company. Time Off: Unlimited PTO. Learning: Learning and development opportunities to grow your skills and career. At Phoenix Tailings, we have an open culture that values learning, and we are looking to grow the team with enthusiastic individuals who share our vision of sustainable mining. Phoenix Tailings, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity at all levels. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information, or any other applicable protected characteristics, and these characteristics will not be a factor for consideration of any work‑related decisions (including but not limited to hiring, firing, compensation, and discipline). #J-18808-Ljbffr Epoch Biodesign