Member of the Special Projects Staff
Mariana Minerals · San Francisco
About Mariana Minerals
Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company on a mission to supply the critical minerals powering modern energy, AI, and defense technologies. We’re reimagining the minerals supply chain by combining deep industry expertise with advanced software, automation, and data-driven decision-making.
The Role
Special Projects is a high-agency problem-solving team at Mariana, empowered by leadership to solve the company’s most critical and least defined problems. In any organization, there are high-leverage, ambiguous problems that either fall between organizational structures or have proven intractable within a team. Special Projects solves these problems by embedding quickly, using first-principles thinking to decomp problems, leading cross-functional execution, and iterating rapidly toward a solution before moving on to the next challenge. It is a dynamic, high-ownership, low-ego team that requires seasoned, independent problem-solvers. Problem spaces include but are not limited to: engineering, operations, software development, new project development, finance, brand, and more.
We are calling all ambitious, eccentric generalists who want to build a generational company.
What You'll Do
Own critical, ambiguous problems end-to-end: take on discrete problems with diverse stakeholders and drive to defined outcomes with high visibility within the company.
Build and lead teams you won't manage: assemble the right people from across the company for each project, set a pace, and bring them along. If your effectiveness has historically depended on org-chart authority, this will be a difficult role.
Build systems that outlast the project: deliver iterative working solutions while creating the processes so the project succeeds on its own. This is very much a hands-on builder role.
Communicate relentlessly and plainly: up and down the chain, set strategic direction and build consensus.
Execute with judgment: make real decisions in leadership's absence consistent with the company’s strategy; identify and scope special projects for the team.
Who You Are
High agency: you have a strong bias for action. You are willing to push, experiment, and act without waiting for instructions.
Low ego: you are more interested in the problem being solved than in being seen solving it.
High EQ: you understand people intuitively and know how to get the best out of them.
Magnetic: people are drawn to working with you.
Curious: you want to know how the block model is built, how a refinery works, where sorbent comes from, how legal contracts are structured, why we care about accruals, how best to do a retro, why the model says what it says, and so on.
Comfortable with ambiguity: you are not scared of endless shades of grey.
Direct: you speak and write plainly and clearly.
Composed: as the old special operations adage goes, be a duck. You are calm under pressure.
Quick study: you get to working literacy in unfamiliar technical or commercial domains quickly while maintaining humility.
Gritty: you are excited by the opportunity to work through gnarly problems.
Qualifications
5-8+ years in roles that demanded ownership of undefined problems: engineering, operations, consulting, banking, construction, founder or early-employee at a startup, military service, or comparable. Preference for those who have operated at high-growth startups.
Demonstrated ability to deliver results through people who do not report to you.
Exceptional written and verbal communication.
Willingness to engage seriously with both technical and commercial material (mining/process engineering, construction, contract structure, financial modeling, software, robotics, autonomy architecture). Depth in any one of these areas is a plus, but genuine interest in all is a requirement.
Willingness to travel to our mines and refineries (Moab, UT; East Texas; potential international operations); 25-50% but subject to change.
No mining experience required, but industrial, technology, construction, aerospace, and/or manufacturing experience is a plus.
Our culture is built on four principles:
Everyone Gets Home Safe. We never put speed or cost ahead of people.
Extreme Ownership. We take full responsibility for outcomes, relentlessly driving toward solutions.
Engineer Out Requirements, then Automate. We simplify, optimize, and then automate for scale.
Share Your Legos. We collaborate openly, share knowledge, and empower each other to build bigger, better solutions.
Join us as we build the future of responsible mineral sourcing and supply!
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