---
title: 'Engineer IV - Special Projects at Kunin Technologies'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/engineer-iv-special-projects-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-k04kxy3zcdnc'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-14'
---

# Engineer IV - Special Projects at Kunin Technologies

- **Company:** Kunin Technologies
- **Location:** Chattanooga, TN
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-12
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/kunin/f848e6eb-67af-4097-be6d-281543a21280

## Job description

U.S. CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED: This position is open only to U.S. citizens. Applications from candidates who are not U.S. citizens will not be considered.

## WHO WE ARE

Kunin Technologies is revolutionizing the critical mineral supply chain by implementing advanced separation technologies to capture value from overlooked resources. Metals are everywhere, in solar panels, smartphones, electric vehicles, but as ore grades plummet globally, traditional extraction methods are failing. China dominates critical minerals markets by developing superior separation technologies that extract value from materials American mines discard as waste. Utilizing Kunin Technologies' breakthrough mass manufacturable nano-separation systems, significantly more value can be produced from each resource, reducing waste, and unlocking domestic critical mineral production.

## MISSION FOR YEAR 1

Kunin's Special Projects group runs externally funded research programs that sit alongside our metal recovery pipeline. The current program is a DARPA-funded effort on nanocrystalline metal catalysts for energy production: preparing and characterizing palladium and nickel nanocrystal samples, cycling them through an extensive loading and triggering test matrix, and measuring the result with calibrated detection and metrology instruments. The work is milestone-driven and reported to the government sponsor at scheduled program reviews. This is a split role. Half your time is technical lead on the DARPA program, reporting to the Principal Investigator: you design the experiments and parameter studies, build the analysis methods, interpret results against the Phase 1 and Phase 2 milestones, and direct the Engineer II. The other half is hands-on process development for Kunin's metal recovery project pipeline: expect to spend as much time at the bench as on P&IDs and commercial equipment specifications. By the end of 2027, we expect:

- The Phase 1 experimental program designed, executed, and interpreted: parameter studies across crystallite size, species, isotope concentration, and loading and triggering temperatures, with validated analysis methods and models.
- Phase 1 milestone deliverables and program review packages written and delivered on the sponsor's schedule, with the Engineer II trained and productive.
- At least one metal recovery process developed from bench data through a reviewed process design basis, P&ID, and commercial equipment specification.
- A documented recommendation on whether and how Phase 2 should proceed, backed by the Phase 1 data.

## WHAT YOU'LL LEAD

- Experimental design and parameter studies for the nanocrystal catalyst program, from sample preparation through loading and triggering cycling to detection and metrology.
- Analysis methods and models for the program data; interpretation of results against the Phase 1 and Phase 2 milestones.
- Day-to-day direction and mentoring of the Engineer II; ownership of the quality of every program deliverable.
- Technical reports and presentations for government program reviews, with the Principal Investigator.
- Hands-on process development for Kunin's metal recovery projects: bench and pilot campaigns, mass and energy balances, process design basis, P&IDs, and commercial equipment specification.
- Laboratory safety and standard operating procedures for the Special Projects laboratory, including safety training and audits.
- Cross-functional coordination with process engineering, research, and operations to hit project milestones and timelines.

## WHO YOU ARE

- Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering or Metallurgical Engineering with 10+ years of progressively responsible R&D, plant, or engineering experience, or a Master's with 8+ years, or a PhD with 4+ years.
- Deep expertise in at least one of metal hydride and deuteride systems, catalysis and surface chemistry, nanomaterials, or nuclear and radiation measurement.
- Experimentalist fluent in gas handling and vacuum systems, materials synthesis and characterization (XRD, SEM/TEM, BET), or radiation and particle detection.
- Practitioner of hydrometallurgical process development with a record of taking bench results into process design and equipment specification.
- Modeler skilled in data analysis and reduction with Python or MATLAB; record of leading experimental programs, peer-reviewed publications preferred.
- Communicator who writes the milestone report, presents it to the sponsor, and makes the Engineer II better every week.

## COMPENSATION

This role will pay $140,000 - $225,000, benefits, and equity.

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

- Must be willing to relocate to Chattanooga, TN.
- Must be a U.S. citizen.
- Extended hours and weekends frequently required to support critical project milestones.

Chattanooga is more beautiful than expected, and Tennessee has no income tax. "The Whole World Is Ion-Exchange And The Rest Are Merely Details!" Dr. Robert Kunin of Rohm and Haas, The Pioneer of the Ion-Exchange Industry, 1951

## About Kunin Technologies

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Kunin Technologies develops modular ion-exchange equipment to recover critical minerals from U.S. mining waste streams, helping mines unlock byproduct metals.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Early-stage, pre-revenue)
- **Headquarters**: Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
- **Founded**: 2025
- **Founders**: Daniel Rau (CEO)

## Core Business
- Primary industry/industries: Critical mineral extraction, mining technology, industrial process engineering
- Target customers: U.S. mining operations (B2B, Industrial/Enterprise), particularly mines that produce copper, lithium, or other primary metals and want to recover secondary byproducts like gallium, germanium, scandium, rhenium, and vanadium
- Mission or purpose statement: “Bringing mining back to America” by recovering trillions of dollars in stranded critical minerals from existing mining waste

## Products & Services
- **Modular Ion-Exchange Skids**: Pre-assembled, prefabricated treatment trains that use proven ion-exchange resin technology (invented by the company’s namesake, Robert Kunin, during the Manhattan Project) to separate target metals from mining wastewater and tailings streams.
- **Byproduct Financing & Asset Ownership Model**: Kunin helps mine owners finance critical mineral byproduct assets, sharing upside from recovered metals that would otherwise be lost.
- **Multiphysics Digital Twins & Process Controls**: Automated optimization systems that maximize metal capture rates and speed of recovery for each specific mining operation.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (early-stage startup)
- **Key Metric**: Small team of ~2-6 employees (as of mid-2026); active hiring spree with 4 open positions
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Tied into Department of Energy projects; selected by the DOE Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation to restart domestic primary gallium recovery; based at Brickyard in Chattanooga
- **Growth Signals**: Selected for DOE critical minerals program; reports its technology can uplift mine revenue by 10–30% over 10 years; U.S. mining industry facing critical supply shortages due to Chinese export restrictions on gallium, germanium, and other metals — creating massive tailwind for its market

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proven Chemistry, Novel Form Factor**: Uses ion-exchange resin chemistry with decades of in-field operating experience — no new material science required. The innovation is in the modular form factor and automated process controls, which dramatically reduce cost.
- **Vertically Integrated**: Kunin is America’s only vertically integrated ion-exchange technology developer, covering design, manufacturing, deployment, and financing.
- **Strategic Positioning**: Headquarters in Chattanooga strategically near Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory — all hubs for engineering talent.
- **Massive Addressable Market**: Estimates over $3 trillion in stranded critical minerals across U.S. mining waste that are currently not recovered.

## Strategic Focus
- Moving from pilot-scale demonstration to full production and deployment across the United States
- Scaling manufacturing to apply a lithium-ion battery-style learning curve to skidded system costs
- Building automated process controls for optimized metal recovery at existing mine sites
- Helping restore U.S. competitiveness in critical mineral production amid geopolitical supply chain disruptions

## Why Work Here
- **High-Impact Mission**: Directly contribute to U.S. critical mineral independence, domestic manufacturing, and national security — with measurable environmental benefit by recovering metals from existing waste rather than new mining
- **Tiny Team, Huge Ownership**: Currently 2-6 people; new hires (titles include “Damn Good Engineer,” Senior Scientist, Hydrometallurgist, Mechanical Lead) will have outsized influence on technology and company trajectory
- **Engineering-First Culture**: Emphasis on chemical process engineering, mechanical design, and multiphysics simulation — building real hardware that goes into the ground
- **Location**: Chattanooga, Tennessee — lower cost of living with proximity to top engineering universities and DOE national labs
- **EY: Remote/Hybrid/Office**: Likely onsite/hybrid given the hardware and lab focus; careers page does not specify remote options
- **Backed by DOE**: Credibility from federal selection for critical mineral recovery projects
- **Growth Trajectory**: Active hiring spree signals company is scaling from R&D toward deployment — early-stage equity opportunity

## Sources
1. [kunin.tech](https://www.kunin.tech/)
2. [Jobs.ashbyhq.com/kunin](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/kunin)
3. [Hypepotamus](https://hypepotamus.com/startup-news/kunin-technologies-critical-minerals-mining-waste/)
4. [LinkedIn - Kunin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kunin)

## Other roles at Kunin Technologies

- [VP of Manufacturing](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-manufacturing-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-krky86pgqk1e) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Controls Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/controls-engineer-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-gtcd05qbsryh) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Mechanical Engineer - Facilities](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-facilities-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-4311d8fth3vk) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Facilities Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/facilities-engineer-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-kngfhyk8e3nb) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Chemical Process Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/chemical-process-engineer-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-hfzfqwf7fcbv) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Summer Intern - Metallurgy and Chemistry](https://feeny.ai/job/summer-intern-metallurgy-and-chemistry-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-hp54hxchvhgf) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Summer Intern - Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/summer-intern-engineering-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-9ph7kzpmmwez) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Summer Intern - Commercial](https://feeny.ai/job/summer-intern-commercial-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-z3qtgkr9cvfw) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Head of Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-finance-kunin-technologies-chattanooga-xf4jt96dx6w7) — Chattanooga, TN
- [Director of Government Relations](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-government-relations-kunin-technologies-washington-39361rcv1yfm) — Washington, DC