About the role
About Magrathea Based in Oakland, California, Magrathea is a global category leader in critical mineral production technology. Our mission is to rebuild the magnesium metal supply base, delivering secure access to one of the most critical materials on Earth. Magnesium is essential to the aluminum, steel, titanium, nuclear, defense, and aerospace industries but 95% of global supply comes from China where large amounts of coal are used to make metal. This isn’t just an economic risk: it’s a national security threat, and Magrathea is fixing it. We’ve developed a next-generation electrolytic process to make magnesium metal from seawater and brines, unlocking a new path to industrial independence and to a cleaner environment for future generations. We’re backed by the earliest believers in Tesla and SpaceX, major European industrial families, and the U.S. Department of Defense. If you’re ready to make a lasting real-world impact, let's talk. Is Magrathea For Me? You’ll be joining a high-performance team of builders on a mission to stand up the first major electrolytic magnesium smelter this century. We’re doing it this decade. There are no pointless positions here, no layers of middle management, no meetings about meetings: just a hyper focus on execution. You’ll be hands-on from day one, shaping the core of a technology that will have major impacts on national security, clean technology, and industrial resilience. If you’re the kind of person who runs toward hard problems, thrives under pressure, and wants to build something history will remember you for, this role is for you. What This Role Is - and Is Not This is a hands-on execution role. The highest-leverage person in this seat will personally drive critical workstreams, unblock details, chase vendors, build operating systems, prepare materials, walk the floor, write follow-ups, own deadlines, and make sure important things actually happen. You should be excited by a role where no task is beneath you if it moves the company forward. One day you may be helping prepare for a board meeting or government funding process; the next you may be calling vendors, tightening a project plan, improving a safety process, resolving an operational bottleneck, or sitting with engineers to turn a messy problem into a clear next step. This role is for someone who wants to build, not observe. Operate, not advise. Ideal Background 10+ years of experience in high-accountability operating environments, such as industrial startups, manufacturing, energy, defense, aerospace, engineering, project development, government programs, consulting, investing, or the military Strong technical fluency and comfort working with engineers, operators, vendors, contractors, and executives Demonstrated ability to take ambiguous, messy problems and turn them into clear plans, owners, timelines, and outcomes Participated in negotiation of contracts and commercial agreements Exceptional written communication, project management, analytical judgment, and follow-through Willingness to personally execute: drafting, calling, chasing, organizing, documenting, negotiating, troubleshooting, and closing loops Strong bias toward action, low ego, high stamina, and comfort operating without a playbook