---
title: 'Commercial Counsel at Mariana Minerals'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/commercial-counsel-mariana-minerals-san-francisco-c0kbyd0vszp7'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-16'
---

# Commercial Counsel at Mariana Minerals

- **Company:** Mariana Minerals
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $130k–$185k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/marianaminerals/dca36b30-3513-4969-bb78-70025855b43c

## Job description

## 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.

## About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Commercial Counsel to join our growing legal team, with a focus on M&A and commercial transactions. This is a hands-on, deal-focused role for a transactional attorney who thrives in an operational environment. You will report to the General Counsel and will work closely with the commercial team on Mariana’s acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and other transactions as we grow our portfolio of mining and processing assets.

## Key Responsibilities

- Manage the legal execution of acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and other transactions, from term sheets and letters of intent through definitive agreements, signing, closing, and post-closing integration
- Oversee legal due diligence and translate findings into practical deal structures, risk allocation, and clear recommendations for leadership
- Draft and negotiate long-term commercial agreements that underpin project economics, such as offtake, supply, and royalty arrangements, as well as procurement contracts, and provide broad commercial legal support across the business as needed
- Act as a team player and trusted business partner to corporate development, operations, engineering, and other project teams to evaluate opportunities, identify risks early, and align deal terms with operational realities
- Coordinate regulatory approvals required for transactions and support corporate and project financings, including government funding programs
- Design, implement, and continuously improve scalable processes, playbooks, diligence checklists, and templates, to drive efficiency and consistency across transactions

Required Qualifications

- J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing
- 5+ years of experience as a transactional attorney, with significant M&A, joint venture, or strategic transaction experience (law firm and/or in-house)
- Demonstrated experience drafting and negotiating purchase agreements, joint venture agreements, and ancillary transaction documents, and running legal due diligence
- Experience managing multiple deal workstreams and outside counsel through signing and closing
- Strong drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, practical guidance for non-legal stakeholders
- Ability to work independently, manage multiple competing priorities, and operate effectively in a fast-moving, resource-constrained environment with limited direction
- High degree of ownership and accountability: you see matters through from start to finish and have a low-ego and collaborative approach to tackle projects large and small across the organization

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in a fast-paced startup or similar organization is strongly preferred
- M&A training at a leading law firm, ideally combined with in-house or corporate development experience
- Transaction experience in mining, metals, energy, natural resources, or infrastructure, including familiarity with mineral title, royalties, streaming, or offtake arrangements
- Experience with cross-border transactions and foreign investment regimes, including CFIUS
- Experience with project finance or government funding programs
- Experience building or improving processes from scratch, including by leveraging software and/or AI

Location

- San Francisco, CA or Houston, TX or Remote
- May include limited travel expectations as needed.

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!

## About Mariana Minerals

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Mariana Minerals is a software-first, vertically integrated minerals company focused on supplying the minerals critical to modern energy, AI, and defense technologies.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A, $85M funding in July 2025)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: Not publicly available
- **Founders**: Turner Caldwell (Co-Founder & CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Metal Ore Mining / Critical Minerals
- **Target customers**: B2B – energy, AI, and defense supply chains (including downstream manufacturers and government entities)
- **Mission or purpose**: "Create a future of critical mineral abundance" by reimagining the global minerals supply chain with software, automation, and data-driven decision making.

## Products & Services
- **Copper One (formerly Lisbon Valley Copper Mine)**: World’s first autonomous mine, located in Utah. Produces copper using integrated automation and software control. Restarted production in April 2026.
- **Lithium One**: Lithium project (on the roadmap or early development).
- **Other mineral projects**: Graphite, Uranium, Rare Earth Metals, Cobalt, Nickel, Aluminium – at various stages (stealth or roadmap).
- **CapitalProjectOS**: Internal software platform for capital project management (mentioned in leadership bio).
- **Technology Stack**: React, dbt, TypeScript, Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, microservices, SCADA, Autodesk, and many others – indicating a strong software engineering backbone.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding – $85M Series A (July 2025, 1 investor)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Lead investor not publicly disclosed (Andreessen Horowitz was pitched but not confirmed as an investor). Partners include Bot Auto, WeRide, Pronto, Atoms (based on LinkedIn mentions). Also works with UMA (Utah Mining Association).
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 3,575% YoY to 107 employees (as of mid-2026). 73 active job postings. Opened the world’s first autonomous mine (Copper One) in April/May 2026, generating significant industry news and social media engagement.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Software-first approach**: The company builds automation and data systems from the ground up, rather than layering tech onto legacy mining operations. This enables fully autonomous mining.
- **Vertical integration**: They develop, own, and operate mineral projects, controlling the entire value chain from extraction to processing.
- **Deep tech stack**: Use of AI/ML (TensorFlow, PyTorch), simulation, and real-time control systems to optimize mining operations.
- **First-mover in autonomous mining**: Copper One is claimed to be the world’s first autonomous mine, giving them a significant lead in operational efficiency and safety.

## Strategic Focus
- Scale autonomous mining operations beyond copper (lithium, graphite, uranium, etc.)
- Secure domestic supply of critical minerals for U.S. energy, AI, and defense needs.
- Continue aggressive hiring across engineering, operations, and field roles.
- Expand from Utah to additional sites (Houston engineering office, potential new projects).

## Why Work Here
- **Culture principles**: "Extreme Ownership", "Engineer Out Requirements, Then Automate", "Share Your Legos" – emphasizing accountability, simplification, and collaboration.
- **Work environment**: High-growth startup with a mission-driven focus on critical infrastructure. Offices in San Francisco (HQ), Houston (Engineering), and La Sal, Utah (mine site). Hybrid/remote policy not explicitly stated, but multiple office locations suggest flexibility for field vs. office roles.
- **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge autonomous systems and AI in a traditional industry. Strong engineering culture with modern tech stack (React, Python, ML). Rapid career growth due to company expansion.
- **Talent sources**: Attracts talent from Tesla, Redwood Materials, Lilac, ExxonMobil, Amazon Web Services, and other tech/energy companies – indicating a high-caliber peer group.

## Sources
1. [marianaminerals.com](https://marianaminerals.com/)
2. [marianaminerals.com/careers](https://marianaminerals.com/careers)
3. [marianaminerals.com/about](https://marianaminerals.com/about)
4. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/marianaminerals](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/marianaminerals)
5. [linkedin.com/company/mariana-minerals](https://www.linkedin.com/company/mariana-minerals)

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