Process Engineer

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

**About Company** Andean Systems is building the next generation of critical-material manufacturing: decentralized, automation- and AI-driven "mini mills" that extract and refine rare earth and precious metals, positioning itself as "the next Nucor and Glencore." The first mill processes e-waste — riding the tailwind of a 2026 executive order banning e-waste export — with plans to expand into broader urban mining and eventually owned mineral deposits. The mini-mill model is designed to be roughly 5x faster and 80% cheaper to stand up than centralized competitors.

Pre-seed, backed by Cantos Ventures (a top-ranked early-stage deep-tech fund), with commercial offtake contracts already worth tens of millions of dollars. The founding team combines computer science, machine learning, and robotics backgrounds, and is opening one of the first new domestic critical-materials processing facilities in 20-30 years, in the Bay Area.

**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. - Number of openings: 1-2. - **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. - 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 (re: Henry/Mohammad, 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.