Process Engineer

**Andean Systems** Process Engineer; $200K–$250K base + equity; Bay Area, CA (On-site)

**About the Role** One of Andean's first senior process engineering hires (informally the "Head of Process Engineering"), owning plant development and the chemical production line — turning Andean's refining chemistry into a functioning, scalable industrial process. Works hand-in-hand with the hardware team, spanning both R&D and production.

**Responsibilities** - Own plant development and process/chemical engineering design for Andean's critical-material refining line. - Design and stand up the chemical production process — from R&D-stage chemistry through to a fully functioning production line. - Work closely with the hardware/mechanical team, since process and hardware development happen hand-in-hand. - Help build internal engineering processes and documentation as one of the company's first process hires. - Take on operational responsibilities as needed in a flat, early-stage structure.

**Required Skills** A. Either (senior track) 5-10+ years of hands-on process/chemical engineering experience at an elite, high-velocity manufacturer — SpaceX, Tesla, Anduril, Relativity Space, or a comparable space/defense/advanced-manufacturing or chemical-plant build-out — or (new-grad track) a recent graduate or undergraduate with substantial hands-on project experience (e.g., process/chemical labs, competition build teams, significant independent builds) and demonstrated ability to execute without hand-holding. B. Senior track: direct experience designing, building, or commissioning a functioning chemical production line/plant — not lab-only bench work. New-grad track: a flagship lab or project build taken from concept to a working result. C. Working knowledge of chemical/refining process design spanning both R&D and scale-to-production phases. D. Senior track: demonstrated career "slope" — fast progression into greater scope, not multiple years stalled in the same role. New-grad track: evidence of independently driving a project to completion, not just contributing to a team effort.

**Bonus Skills** - Experience commissioning a first-of-kind industrial facility (e.g., nuclear, chemical, metals/mining plant). - Background in hydrometallurgy, metals refining, or e-waste/materials-recovery chemistry. - Notable process/chemical competition, research, or build-team experience — strong signal for the new-grad track.

**Logistical Info** - Location: Bay Area, CA — full-time, fully in-person (no remote/hybrid). Six-day work week (Saturdays half-day); weekdays typically run 10-12 hours (~50-60 hrs/week). - Compensation: $200K–$250K base + meaningful equity. Client is leaning cash-heavy over equity right now. - **Other:** Backed by Cantos Ventures. Already has commercial offtake contracts worth tens of millions of dollars. Opening one of the first new domestic critical-materials processing facilities in 20-30 years within the next few weeks.

**Ideal Background** - Strongest signal: SpaceX, Tesla, Anduril, Relativity Space, or comparable space/defense/advanced-manufacturing companies — especially candidates with hands-on chemical/process build experience there. - Client's stated target profile for the next hire (10/14): a process or chemical engineer who started in a large mining or minerals-processing operation (preferably in Australia, e.g. BHP process engineering) and then spent a couple of years at a fast-moving advanced manufacturer such as Tesla (e.g. cell or battery materials engineering). The client is more interested in this profile than most others. - Second archetype, explicitly requested by the client (8/5/26 feedback): recent grads (undergrad or grad) with strong, verifiable project experience — e.g., process/chemical labs, competition build teams, significant personal or academic builds — who are willing to work at Andean's high-intensity pace. This is a parallel target track, not a fallback pool. - Also strong: engineers who've commissioned first-of-kind industrial facilities (e.g., a nuclear plant commissioning engineer) — this "first of its kind" build experience maps directly to what Andean is doing. - Targeting senior profiles (5-10+ YOE) for the experienced track; the new-grad track is explicitly in scope per the client and should be sourced in parallel, not treated as lower priority. - Comp note: confirmed $200K–$250K base (case-by-case above) applies to the senior/experienced track. New-grad-track comp has NOT been confirmed by the client — do not quote a number to junior candidates; check with Zhining before setting expectations. - Comp note: the public careers page still lists $100K–$150K + equity — that's stale for the senior track. Don't quote the website figure. - Sourcing note: founder says the bottleneck so far is sourcing volume at the target bar, not comp rejection — prioritize pedigree-matched volume over raw applicant count. - Calibration note: client offered to hop on a calibration call (per 8/5/26 feedback) — worth scheduling before the next batch goes out.

**Green Flags** - Has built something successfully end-to-end (e.g., commissioned a plant or production line), or owned a standout project relative to experience level (new-grad track). - "Lead engineer" archetype — hands-on IC with some team leadership. - History of fast promotion / increasing scope (senior track), or outsized project ownership (new-grad track). - High agency; comfortable owning multiple cross-disciplinary projects at once. - Genuinely motivated by rebuilding domestic critical-materials production.

**Red Flags** - "Technician" profile rather than a design/build engineer. - No track record of building/commissioning a working plant or process line (senior track) or no substantial hands-on project ownership (new-grad track). - Stalled career — multiple years in the same role without increasing scope. - Long tenure (5+ yrs) at a slow-moving legacy industrial, government, or research org (e.g. large industrial conglomerates, national labs) — soft flag even with strong technical background. - Credential inflation, e.g. listing a short online course as formal education — reads as posturing. - Not willing/able to work fully in-person, 6 days/week (Saturdays half-day), ~50-60 hrs/week. - Comp expectations meaningfully above $250K base without SpaceX/Tesla/Anduril-caliber tenure — case-by-case exception only. - Large upfront cash asks — same note as above.

**Interview Process** 1. Behavioral/culture-fit conversation. 2. Technical conversation — depth scales with seniority. 3. On-site working session — a full day on-site working through a real problem with the team.