Head of Engineering

Travertine is an Industrial Transformation company based in Boulder, CO, that is rapidly scaling a technology for sulfur-decoupled production of critical minerals, starting with phosphate. Our technology enables large-scale circularity in extractive industries while simultaneously decarbonizing building materials.

We do this by electrochemically recycling chemical byproducts, sulfate wastes, into sulfuric acid and valuable mineral co-products. Sulfuric acid is the world's most used inorganic chemical and is vital for producing a wide range of critical elements including phosphate (for fertilizer and LFP batteries), lithium, copper, nickel, and rare earth elements. Travertine's technology solves the dual problems of sulfur supply vulnerability and large-scale chemical waste disposal. Our transformative process changes the fundamental material balance of critical mineral production, laying the groundwork for an industry liberated from fossil inputs and their legacy waste and carbon impacts.

Since founding, Travertine has raised over $29M in capital, including over $5M in US Federal and State government grants. We are an accomplished and driven team recognized by C&EN 10 startups to watch in 2022, Bloomberg NEF Pioneers in 2023, RMI Third Derivative 1st Gigaton Captured program in 2024, Mining Cleantech Challenge in 2026, and are a founding member of the Carbon Removal Alliance. Travertine designed, built, and successfully operated our core technology Demonstration Plant in Rochester, NY for over 3,000 hours, and delivered the project on-time and on-budget.

We are now recruiting a VP of Engineering to lead the development of our first commercial project, which will be the only new phosphate plant built on US soil in over 50 years.

The Role

The VP of Engineering will lead Travertine’s engineering function as the company advances its technology from demonstration plant operation to commercial plant deployment. This role reports directly to the CEO and will be responsible for building the engineering discipline and team that will design and ensure effective operation of world-scale critical mineral production plants. The first plant in development is a purified phosphoric acid plant located in the southeastern US, that is currently in FEL-2.

This role will own all aspects of internal and external engineering including strategy, flowsheet development, technoeconomic modeling, hiring, EPC selection and management, vendor selection, budgeting, and translating R&D and Demo Plant data into engineering design. Critical to success is ensuring projects are executed on time and on budget without sacrificing strong technical rigor and safety.

The ideal candidate is a strong leader with a deep technical background in chemical process engineering, and who has designed multiple commercial-scale plants from concept to FEED to detailed engineering, and seen those plants through construction and consistent operation. We are looking for an engineer who can build, lead, and mentor a team; develop short and long-term strategies; vet and manage EPCs and vendors; develop and refine scalable and cost-effective flowsheets; review P&IDs, HMB, equipment selection and sizing; develop high-level operating control logic; and think outside the box to design and deliver sustainable & repeatable chemical plant designs in the 21st century.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership
Own Travertine’s plant engineering roadmap from demo plant to multiple commercial plant deployments
Build the systems, standards, and processes needed for a professional engineering organization.
Use pilot and demonstration plant experimental data to inform scalable process designs.
Work cross-functionally with Process Development, R&D, and Electrochemical Stack Engineering teams to translate technology development into engineering design and efficiently retire scale-up risk.
Engineer for intrinsic safety
Develop stage-gate engineering plans, including scope, schedule, budget, technical risks, and decision criteria.
Determine when work should be executed internally versus through EPCs, vendors, consultants, or other external partners.
Process & Project Engineering
Evaluate options for engineering, procurement, and construction including traditional stick-built EPC, offsite skid-built, and hybrid models.
Lead development of process design packages, including PFDs, P&IDs, mass and energy balances, equipment specifications, control philosophies, and basis-of-design documents from concept through detailed engineering. 
Oversee process design work across chemical separations, hydrometallurgy, crystallization, ion exchange, solid-liquid separation, membrane-based systems, and/or related industrial processes.
Guide design of demonstration plant upgrades to ensure systems generate representative data for future commercial design.
Review technoeconomic analysis, capital/operating cost models, and project execution plans.
Ensure all engineering decisions are made with scalable and repeatable plant economics in mind.
Drive process safety and risk-management practices, including HAZOP, PHA, LOPA, PSM and related reviews.
Collaborate with regulatory, environmental, and legal teams to secure necessary air, water, and site construction permits
Support site selection, facility layout, equipment selection, procurement strategy, and constructability reviews.
Team, Partner & Program Management
Build and lead a high-performing engineering team including process, chemical, project, controls, mechanical, and external engineering resources.
Manage multiple engineering workstreams in parallel across R&D, demo, and commercial.
Interface effectively with technicians, scientists, engineers, executives, investors, vendors, contractors, and external collaborators.
Develop RFPs, vet, negotiate contracts, and then manage external EPCs and other contractors.
Establish clear work-planning, documentation, reporting, and review processes.
Mentor technical team members and raise the overall level of engineering discipline across the organization.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Work closely with Process Development, R&D, and Electrochemical Stack Engineering to ensure experimental programs generate scale-relevant engineering data.
Partner with operations, product, commercial, and finance stakeholders to align technical decisions with business priorities.
Communicate technical tradeoffs clearly to executive leadership and investors.
Help prioritize near-term execution needs against long-term commercial design requirements.
Serve as a senior technical voice in fundraising, customer, partner, and diligence conversations as needed.

Qualifications

20+ years of engineering experience in complex chemical, hydrometallurgical, industrial water, mining, critical minerals, cement/materials, or adjacent process industries.
Proven track record translating R&D, pilot, and demo results into scalable engineering designs for commercial deployment.
Deep applied process engineering foundation, including PFDs, P&IDs, mass and energy balances, equipment specification, process safety, and technoeconomic/capital planning.
Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering programs from concept through detailed design, construction support, commissioning, and startup.
Ability to lead internal teams and external partners, including EPCs, vendors, consultants, and contractors.
Experience building engineering discipline in a startup, scale-up, or first-of-a-kind industrial technology environment.
Strong cross-functional communicator with the judgment and maturity to align R&D, engineering, operations, executives, investors, and commercial stakeholders.
Delivered projects on time and on budget.
Experience with skid-based plant manufacturing for key unit operations and/or entire plants.
Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related field required.
PE license.
Nice-to-Have Experience
Experience in phosphate, fertilizer, mining, cement, industrial minerals, or critical mineral recovery.
Electrochemical process experience: such as electrolysis, electrodialysis, chlor-alkali, or related systems.
Controls, automation, instrumentation, or plant data systems experience.
Experience supporting fundraising, grant applications, DOE-style diligence, or investor technical diligence.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation will be commensurate with experience. Total compensation includes equity and the benefits listed here:

• Stock options
• 95% Employer coverage of top tier Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance
• 401k with 100% match up to 3% of salary
• Flexible time off policy