--- title: 'Chemical and Process Engineer at Red Metals' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/chemical-and-process-engineer-red-metals-charleston-0hwqejbnd49b' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-05' --- # Chemical and Process Engineer at Red Metals - **Company:** Red Metals - **Location:** Charleston, SC - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-04-13 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-05 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/redmetals/84951e31-d242-4b53-8323-bb9ccac471d2 ## Job description Chemical & Process Engineer Charleston, South Carolina ## About Red Metals Red Metals is rethinking the domestic copper supply chain at a pivotal moment in American industry. Copper underpins electrification, data centers, and defense systems. U.S. demand already exceeds domestic supply, and the gap is widening as grid modernization, the energy transition, and buildout of AI infrastructure accelerate. We are building a new model for this critical industrial layer in the United States. ## The Role We are hiring a Chemical & Process Engineer to design, build, and operate our first copper processing and refining systems. This is not a support role. You will take processes from first principles through design, commissioning, and production, and you will own performance, reliability, and output. ## What You’ll Do - Lead process areas or systems, with the opportunity for team leadership as we scale - Design copper processing flowsheets from feedstock through finished product - Build mass and energy balances, process models, and size key equipment - Select and integrate unit operations in a coherent, scalable system - Work side by side with mechanical and controls engineers to build a functioning plant - Lead commissioning, including hands-on troubleshooting on the plant floor - Define operating procedures, control strategies, and process KPIs - Analyze process data and drive improvements in yield, quality, and throughput - Own metallurgical performance, including impurity management and product quality - Work directly with vendors and contractors to execute quickly - Contribute to controls and automation systems, using process data and AI to improve stability and continuously optimize Red Metals Non-Negotiables 1. Bias for Action We move fast. Speed beats polish. We use every tool, especially AI, to accelerate decisions, execution, and learning. 1. Grit We do hard things because they matter. We keep pushing when others quit. 1. Ownership We own outcomes, not tasks. We see problems, fix them, and follow through across functions. 1. Signal We cut through noise. We communicate clearly and directly so decisions are fast and execution stays sharp. 1. Craft We take pride in our work. Quality, care, and precision are the standard. ## What We’re Looking For - Degree in Chemical Engineering or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience demonstrating process engineering capability - 3-8+ years process engineering experience, ideally in metals, mining, refining, or heavy industry - Strong fundamentals in thermodynamics, reaction engineering, and separations, developed through education or practical experience - Experience taking processes from design through commissioning into operation - Comfortable working on the plant floor in an industrial environment - Ability to operate with incomplete information and make sound decisions quickly - Demonstrated ability or potential to lead projects or teams in a fast-moving environment Strong Pluses: - Experience with pyrometallurgy or processing of mined or secondary materials - Experience with copper or other non-ferrous metals - Experience commissioning industrial equipment - Familiarity with process control systems and instrumentation - Startup or early-stage experience ## Why Red Metals - Build a company from zero, not optimize an existing system - Direct ownership of critical process and operational decisions - Work on a problem that matters: rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity - Small team, high trust, no bureaucracy Location This role is based in Charleston, South Carolina and requires on-site work. ## About Red Metals ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Red Metals is building a new domestic supply chain for finished copper products by converting copper feedstocks directly into high-conductivity copper rod through an integrated refining and manufacturing process. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage – $10M raised) - **Headquarters**: Waterbury, Connecticut, United States / First production facility in Charleston, South Carolina - **Founded**: Not publicly available (recent startup, announced seed round in June 2026) - **Founders**: Jackson Switzer ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Copper refining and manufacturing (metals, advanced manufacturing) - **Target customers**: B2B – data centers, grid modernization, electrification, defense, wire & cable manufacturers - **Mission or purpose statement**: “Reshoring American copper – building the supply chain for what’s next.” – delivering high-conductivity copper rod domestically with dramatically shorter lead times and lower environmental impact. ## Products & Services - **High-Conductivity Copper Rod**: The company’s first commercial product – the industry-standard input used in wire, magnet wire, and other electrical applications. Produced via a single continuous operation from domestic copper feedstocks (initially scrap), reducing the typical multi-step, multi-country refining chain to days instead of months. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of $10 million (Seed round, announced June 4, 2026) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Gigascale Capital (lead), Future Ventures, MCJ, and JB Straubel (founder and CEO of Redwood Materials, co-founder of Tesla). Also secured economic incentives from South Carolina and Charleston County. - **Growth Signals**: Building a $70 million facility in Charleston, SC (42,000 sq ft), expected to create at least 45 jobs with operations online in Q4 2026. Tackling a U.S. refined copper supply gap projected to exceed 2.5M metric tons annually by 2035. ## Competitive Advantages - **Integrated single-continuous process** that turns feedstocks directly into finished products, eliminating intermediate steps (concentrate, matte, anode, cathode, rod) – reducing lead times, working capital, energy intensity, and emissions. - **Feedstock-flexible** – initially focused on domestic copper scrap, making the process commercially viable without subsidies. - **Domestic supply chain security** – no port delays, no year-long lead times; built for reliability, speed, and control. - **Backed by top-tier deep-tech and industrial investors** with a rare combination of process innovation, operational execution, and supply chain expertise. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priority**: Launch the first production facility in Charleston, SC, scale the integrated refining process, and prove the economics at commercial scale. - **Medium‑term direction**: Expand capacity to support accelerating U.S. demand from data centers, grid modernization, electrification, and defense – aiming to capture a meaningful share of the domestic market ($45B+ by 2035). ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Technical, execution-oriented team with backgrounds from Redwood Materials, Boeing, Albemarle, BASF, and other industrial leaders. The company values hands-on work, speed, and staying close to the product. - **Location**: First facility in North Charleston, SC; company HQ in Waterbury, CT. The team is small (3 employees according to LinkedIn), so early hires will have outsized impact. - **Notable perks/culture**: Opportunity to help rebuild America’s industrial base and work on a mission-critical supply chain problem. The company is actively hiring engineers, operators, and “entrepreneurial builders” – see [jobs.ashbyhq.com/redmetals](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/redmetals). ## Sources 1. [redmetals.com](https://www.redmetals.com/) – Company homepage 2. [redmetals.com/announcement](https://redmetals.com/announcement) – Seed funding press release 3. [linkedin.com/company/redmetals](https://www.linkedin.com/company/redmetals) – Company LinkedIn profile 4. [governor.sc.gov](https://governor.sc.gov/news/2026-06/red-metals-establishes-first-copper-manufacturing-operation-charleston-county) – South Carolina governor’s announcement of Charleston facility 5. [miningweekly.com](https://www.miningweekly.com/article/tesla-co-founder-backed-copper-maker-red-metals-secures-seed-funding-for-us-refining-plant-2026-06-05) – Mining Weekly article on seed round ## Other roles at Red Metals - [Electrical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineer-red-metals-charleston-ex2crnadsc07) — Charleston, SC - [Other Builders & Innovators](https://feeny.ai/job/other-builders-innovators-red-metals-charleston-bk53dvgw5mqg) — Charleston, SC - [Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-red-metals-charleston-5bw202dts430) — Charleston, SC