--- title: 'Commercial Manager, Energy & Utilities at Mariana Minerals' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/commercial-manager-energy-utilities-mariana-minerals-san-francisco-v9bbex69xwyh' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-30' --- # Commercial Manager, Energy & Utilities at Mariana Minerals - **Company:** Mariana Minerals - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $130k–$190k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-10-21 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-30 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/marianaminerals/0646e630-e634-44af-9d71-7eaae4bb75cb ## 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. ## The Role Mariana is hiring a Commercial Manager, Energy & Utilities to own electricity, water, and natural gas agreements across our operating sites and sites in development. This is a commercial role — you will take load requirements and operating plans from engineering and operations and translate them into negotiated service agreements, benchmarked rates, and contract structures that work for Mariana over the long term. You will cover both traditional utility contracting and alternative energy options including on-site generation, storage, and renewable supply. You will assess providers on credit and reliability, work with local governments and utilities on permitting and incentives, and maintain a clear picture of utilities spend and supply risk across the portfolio. ## What You'll Do - Develop utilities contracting strategy for each site, from initial connection through steady-state operations - Negotiate power, water, and natural gas agreements covering rates, terms, and renewal structures; benchmark pricing against market and comparable facilities - Assess utility and service providers on credit, financial stability, and delivery reliability - Convert site load forecasts and operating plan changes provided by engineering and operations into utility capacity and contract requirements - Evaluate renewable energy options including on-site generation (including solar and geothermal energy), battery storage, and power purchase agreements, covering cost, reliability, and operational impact - In coordination with our Government Affairs function, work with utilities, local governments, and relevant community stakeholders to advance utility access and generation strategies for sites, including economic incentives, permitting, and related regulatory pathways - Track utilities contracts across the portfolio, monitoring expiration dates, renewal windows, and supply risk; report on utilities spend and contract status to leadership Desired Qualifications - 5+ years negotiating utility, energy, or industrial infrastructure service contracts, ideally from the customer side - Working knowledge of power markets, rate structures, and interconnection processes - Strong credit and counterparty risk judgment - Proven ability to make and defend commercial decisions independently, with limited day-to-day direction - Hands-on experience with at least one renewable procurement structure such as a PPA or green tariff, and a working understanding of the others - Familiarity with on-site generation and battery storage (solar, microgrids), including project economics and incentives - Ability to work with engineers to assess technical feasibility, reliability tradeoffs, and payback - Experience with international utility and energy contracting 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! ## 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) ## Other roles at Mariana Minerals - [Stacking/Sizer Operator](https://feeny.ai/job/stacking-sizer-operator-mariana-minerals-moab-q08nvmvtbbap) — Moab, UT - [R&D Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/r-d-technician-mariana-minerals-san-francisco-3q98f6mnvpmg) — San Francisco, CA - [Analytical Lab Chemist](https://feeny.ai/job/analytical-lab-chemist-mariana-minerals-san-francisco-dwx9kyd8dfqn) — San Francisco, CA - [Mobile Maintenance Supervisor](https://feeny.ai/job/mobile-maintenance-supervisor-mariana-minerals-moab-7ewztvzzvw62) — Moab, UT - [Administrative Assistant](https://feeny.ai/job/administrative-assistant-mariana-minerals-houston-bamf8ahyve5k) — Houston, TX - [Senior/Staff Chemical Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-chemical-process-engineer-mariana-minerals-san-francisco-34b0xfs3fzep) — San Francisco, CA - [Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/process-engineer-mariana-minerals-moab-5tajjyjgxp0g) — Moab, UT - [Controls Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/controls-technician-mariana-minerals-joaquin-rj03sx442xtf) — Joaquin, TX - [Associate, Corporate Development](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-corporate-development-mariana-minerals-houston-rbz4jm1qw29v) — Houston, TX - [Manager, Corporate Development](https://feeny.ai/job/manager-corporate-development-mariana-minerals-houston-zeyejbwkyfbj) — Houston, TX