Lead Technical Program Manager

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 escalation 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. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, short & long-term disability insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. We have a flexible paid time-off (PTO) policy. #J-18808-Ljbffr