---
title: 'Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Solcoa Industries'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-engineer-solcoa-industries-alameda-65319tgymptv'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-03'
---

# Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Solcoa Industries

- **Company:** Solcoa Industries
- **Location:** Alameda, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-03
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/solcoa/e14d2034-1383-41eb-af6c-d1bad38d898f

## Job description

Making the Metals Powering the World Solcoa is building the next generation of American metalmaking, starting with rare earths — the metals of power and motion. We've developed a new chemistry that converts rare earth oxides into high-purity metals — the materials inside every EV, fighter jet, wind turbine, and data center — cleaner, cheaper, and faster than any conventional process. Now we're scaling it to thousands of tonnes of annual production.

## The Role

Senior Manufacturing Engineer will own the hands-on buildout of Solcoa’s vacuum induction melting (VIM) furnaces, turning engineering designs into reliable, production-ready equipment. You will work directly with engineering, suppliers, fabrication technicians, and contractors to deliver multiple furnace systems from drawing review and procurement through assembly, commissioning, and first melts. You will establish the shop capabilities, build procedures, and quality standards that make each subsequent system faster and cheaper to build.

## What You’ll Do

- Furnace Assembly and Commissioning. Lead the buildout of multiple VIM furnace systems, including mechanical assembly, vacuum and gas handling, and power and controls integration. Work alongside technicians and engineers to resolve integration issues, verify system readiness, and commission each furnace through first melts.
- Drawing Review and Build Readiness. Review and sign off on fabrication packages before parts are released for manufacture. Catch manufacturability, tolerance, material, and assembly issues early, and work with engineering to resolve them before parts are cut.
- Procurement and Supplier Management. Own procurement of furnace components, long-lead parts, tooling, and shop consumables. Source and qualify vendors, evaluate quotes, and track deliveries against the build schedule. Work directly with suppliers and outside machine shops to resolve technical questions and keep fabrication moving.
- Build Execution and Team Coordination. Coordinate fabrication technicians, contractors, and outside shops to deliver builds on schedule and to specification. Translate designs into clear work packages and assembly sequences, manage dependencies, and resolve problems on the shop floor.
- Shop Setup and Safe Operations. Establish the tooling, fixtures, shop layout, and work instructions needed to assemble and test furnace systems efficiently. Develop safe operating procedures for high-temperature and vacuum equipment with engineering and the operating team.

## Compensation & Benefits

- Competitive base salary.
- Generous stock options.
- Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance.
- Company-provided lunch daily.
- Visa sponsorship available if needed.

## About Solcoa Industries

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Solcoa Industries converts end-of-life magnets and magnet production waste from EVs, data centers, wind turbines, and defense directly into high-purity rare earth metals in America, bypassing the traditional Chinese supply chain.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Angel-backed startup)
- **Headquarters**: Alameda, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Hooman Reza Nezhad (Co-founder, CEO) and Artem Iurkovskyi (Co-founder, CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Rare earth metals recycling and manufacturing; critical minerals supply chain.
- **Target customers**: B2B – OEMs, magnet producers, defense contractors, and supply chain partners in EV, renewable energy, data center, and aerospace sectors.
- **Mission**: “Bring rare earths home” – establish a domestic, carbon-zero source of rare earth metals to reduce Western dependence on China.

## Products & Services
- **NdPr Metal Alloy (Sample E-44-3)**: High-purity neodymium-praseodymium metal derived directly from scrap magnets. Available now for testing and production trials.
- **Heavy Rare Earths**: Coming soon.
- **SWARF Processing**: Conversion of magnet cutting waste (swarf) directly into magnet-ready metal.
- **Primary Oxides Processing**: Metal production from refined oxides.
- **Scrap Magnet Procurement**: Solcoa sources end-of-life magnets as feedstock, offering a demagnetization line and on-site storage.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly available.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding undisclosed; backed by “Strategic Angels across defense, robotics, and…” (no named investors disclosed).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Strategic angel investors in defense and robotics; partnerships with OEMs and magnet producers (not named).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - Active 35,000 sqft production facility in Alameda
  - 10 tonnes-per-annum REE metal production line under construction (current line: 3 tpa)
  - 8 employees with 9 open positions – headcount growth expected
  - Stated goal: “scale to meet one-third of US demand”

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary process**: Solcoa is one of the only companies in the world that converts magnet waste directly into magnet-ready metal, bypassing the intermediate steps that typically require China.
- **Faster, cleaner, cheaper**: Claims to be faster, cleaner, and cheaper than conventional processes.
- **In-house capabilities**: Full metallurgical lab, analytical equipment (ICP-OES, SEM-EDS, LECO), high-temperature furnaces, and fabrication tools – all under one roof.
- **National security angle**: Reduces US reliance on Chinese rare earth supply, a critical geopolitical moat.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scale production**: Ramping up to a 10-tpa line and expanding the Alameda facility.
- **New chemistries**: Developing entirely new processes for rare earth metal production in America.
- **Talent acquisition**: Hiring engineers, R&D technicians, plant operators, and procurement specialists to build a world-class team.
- **Customer engagement**: Offering metal samples and production trials to OEMs and magnet producers.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Small, obsessive team (8 people) solving a deeply technical and mission-critical problem. Described as “truly obsessive people working on what might be the most important industrial problem of our time.”
- **Work model**: On-site in SF Bay Area (Alameda) – all current roles require physical presence.
- **Compensation**: Highly competitive base salaries ($100K–$350K for engineering roles), stock options, and strong benefits.
- **Impact**: Direct contribution to Western industrial independence and climate goals (carbon-zero metals).
- **Engineering focus**: Heavy emphasis on metallurgy, process engineering, and high-temperature chemistry; chance to build from scratch.

## Sources
1. [solcoaindustries.com](https://solcoaindustries.com/)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/solcoa](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/solcoa)
3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/solcoaindustries)
4. [solcoaindustries.com/team](https://www.solcoaindustries.com/team)
5. [solcoaindustries.com/capabilities](https://www.solcoaindustries.com/capabilities)

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