---
title: 'Chemical Operator III at Redwood Materials'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/chemical-operator-iii-redwood-materials-mccarran-sx2qd3ykgnmm'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-02'
---

# Chemical Operator III at Redwood Materials

- **Company:** Redwood Materials
- **Location:** Mccarran, NV
- **Posted:** 2026-10-29
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-02
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/redwoodmaterials/jobs/6167475004?gh_jid=6167475004

## Job description

## About Redwood Materials

Redwood Materials was founded in 2017 by JB Straubel, co-founder and former CTO of Tesla, on a simple but radical idea: the critical minerals powering the energy transition already exist. They just need to come back. Today Redwood is the largest lithium-ion battery recycler in North America — recovering, refining, and redeploying critical minerals from end-of-life batteries back into the supply chain. On the energy side, Redwood has deployed the largest second-life battery project in the world, delivering power to AI data centers in months rather than years using proprietary energy architecture engineered entirely in-house. The company is profitable, the market it operates in is projected to grow 20 to 50 times over the next decade, and Redwood is the only company with the supply chain, the technology, and the operational scale to lead it.

The Chemical Operator III is a safety critical role responsible for the safe, disciplined operation of chemical processing systems in a continuously operating manufacturing environment. Operators are entrusted with real time decision making authority while on shift and are expected to actively monitor process conditions, identify risk, and take appropriate action to protect people, equipment, the environment, and product quality.

Chemical Operators take full ownership of their equipment and processes. They are expected to operate with a strong sense of accountability, follow standard work rigorously, escalate abnormal conditions early, and intervene when conditions are unsafe or outside of established operating limits. Safety is the top priority in every task and decision.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Safety, Risk Awareness, and Escalation

- Maintain an uncompromising commitment to personal, team, and process safety always.
- Proactively identify unsafe conditions, at risk behaviors, and abnormal process conditions; immediately correct when safe to do so and escalate when conditions exceed authority or capability.
- Follows all safety procedures, permits, and controls (including PPE, LOTO, and hazardous material handling) and actively reinforce safe behaviors within the team.
- Clearly communicate safety concerns, near misses, and abnormal events during shift handovers and through proper reporting channels.

Operational Discipline & Decision Making

- Operate, monitor, and control a continuously running production line using established procedures, standard work, and operating limits.
- Use process data, instrumentation, and alarms (temperature, pressure, pH, flow, etc.) to make informed decisions and take timely corrective actions.
- Recognize early indicators of process deviation or equipment degradation and respond before issues escalate.
- Maintain strict adherence to process limits and specifications; do not bypass safeguards or procedures.
- Execute startups, shutdowns, and transitions deliberately and in accordance with approved instructions.

Equipment Ownership & Process Execution

- Own assigned equipment and process areas, ensuring they are operated, inspected, and maintained in a stable and compliant condition.
- Operate a wide range of chemical processing and material handling equipment, including but not limited to:
- Holding tanks, utility manifolds, and bulk material conveyance systems
- Centrifugal and metering pumps
- Heat exchangers, filters, centrifuges, and filter presses
- Kilns, evaporators, and wastewater treatment systems
- Perform routine field rounds, sampling, and basic troubleshooting activities.
- Accurately document operating conditions, deviations, and actions taken.

Sampling, Quality, and Communication

- Collect in process and finished product samples in accordance with procedures and verify results against expected parameters.
- Communicate process status, risks, and issues clearly with Engineering, Maintenance, and Manufacturing teams.
- Execute thorough, factual, and disciplined shift handovers to ensure continuity and shared understanding across shifts.
- Support troubleshooting, maintenance coordination, and continuous improvement efforts when required.

Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

- Basic working knowledge of chemical plant operations and process equipment (6 months of experience preferred).
- Demonstrated ability to follow procedures precisely while maintaining situational awareness and sound judgment.
- Strong attention to detail with accurate documentation and record keeping habits.
- Comfortable navigating complex HMIs (e.g., Ignition) to monitor, control, and troubleshooting processes.
- Knowledge of hazardous materials handling; HAZWOPER certification or ability to obtain certification.
- Willingness to speak up, escalate issues early, and challenge unsafe conditions respectfully.
- A passion for sustainability and contributing to a safer, more responsible manufacturing environment.

The position is full-time. Compensation will be commensurate with experience.

We collect personal information (PI) from you in connection with your application for employment with Redwood Materials, including the following categories of PI: identifiers, personal records, professional or employment information, and inferences drawn from your PI. We collect your PI for our purposes, including performing services and operations related to your potential employment. If you have additional privacy-related questions, please contact us at privacy@redwoodmaterials.com.

## About Redwood Materials

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Redwood Materials recycles lithium-ion batteries to recover critical minerals and deploys large-scale energy storage systems, building a domestic circular supply chain for batteries.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Late-stage; Series E closed at $425M in October 2025)
- **Headquarters**: Carson City, Nevada, USA (with campuses in Northern Nevada, South Carolina, and an R&D center in San Francisco)
- **Founded**: 2017
- **Founders**: JB Straubel (former Tesla CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Battery recycling, critical materials production, and energy storage
- **Target customers**: B2B – automotive OEMs, data center operators, utilities, and grid-scale energy storage buyers
- **Mission/purpose**: “Securing U.S. critical materials. Powering America’s energy future.” – building a resilient domestic supply chain for batteries and enabling the energy transition.

## Products & Services
- **Critical Materials Production**: Recovers lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper from end-of-life batteries (recycling) and produces cathode active material at scale. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/)
- **Redwood Energy**: Designs, integrates, and deploys large-scale energy storage systems (BESS) for data centers and the grid, using both new and repurposed batteries. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/)
- **Battery Bin**: Consumer-facing recycling program launched in December 2025 to collect end-of-life batteries. [redwoodmaterials.com/about/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/about/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: ~$6 billion (as of October 2025, per Wikipedia)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding raised >$1.4B (over $1B in 2023 plus $425M Series E in 2025). Annual revenue not publicly disclosed.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Partners include Volkswagen Group of America, Panasonic, GM/Ultium Cells, Volvo, Amazon, Toyota, Southern Company, BMW of North America, Crusoe, Lime, Caterpillar, Isuzu. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/)
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Opened South Carolina recycling campus (2025) and SF R&D center (2025)
  - Launched Redwood Energy storage division (2025)
  - Expanded into Europe (2022)
  - Recognized as Fast Company’s World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies (2024, 2026) and Time100 Climate (2024)
  - Active job postings: 79 (as of mid-2026), with monthly growth of +83.7% [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/redwood-materials)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Technology moat**: Recovers >95% of metals (nickel, cobalt, lithium, copper) from end-of-life batteries, creating a low-cost domestic source of critical materials.
- **Vertical integration**: Combines recycling, refining, cathode production, and energy storage deployment under one roof.
- **Strategic partnerships**: Deep relationships with nearly every major automotive OEM and energy companies, ensuring feedstock and offtake.
- **First-mover in U.S. battery circularity**: One of the largest domestic sources of critical minerals, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains.

## Strategic Focus
- Scale domestic battery material production and energy storage manufacturing to meet U.S. grid and EV demand.
- Expand Redwood Energy as a standalone business unit for utility and data center storage.
- Grow consumer recycling programs (Battery Bin) and deepen partnerships with automakers and energy companies.
- Continue R&D in advanced battery chemistries and recycling processes at the San Francisco innovation center.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Employees are motivated by building a resilient U.S. energy future and solving climate challenges.
- **Pioneering environment**: Described as “pioneers, innovators, and collaborators” working on chemistry, materials science, automation, and advanced equipment design. [redwoodmaterials.com/join/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/join/)
- **Locations**: Multiple campuses – Tahoe (Northern Nevada), Carolina (South Carolina), and downtown San Francisco R&D center.
- **Growth opportunities**: Rapid scaling with 79+ open roles across engineering, operations, EPC, software, and business functions. Top talent sources include Tesla (207 alumni), Panasonic, Rivian, and Chewy.
- **Work style**: Hybrid/office presence expected at campuses; culture emphasizes making difficult decisions and implementing design constraints to drive impact.

## Sources
1. [redwoodmaterials.com](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/)
2. [redwoodmaterials.com/about/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/about/)
3. [redwoodmaterials.com/join/](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/join/)
4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/redwood-materials)
5. [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwood_Materials)

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