---
title: 'Staff Piping Engineer at Mariana Minerals'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/staff-piping-engineer-mariana-minerals-houston-78g11q4n0yy7'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-06'
---

# Staff Piping Engineer at Mariana Minerals

- **Company:** Mariana Minerals
- **Location:** Houston, TX
- **Compensation:** $170k–$210k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-04-17
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-06
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/marianaminerals/8cf099aa-a149-4f5d-a690-583329acadd3/application

**Skills:** Piping Engineering, Pipe Stress Analysis, ASME B31.3, Caesar II, Plant3D, CADWORX, Revit, Navisworks, Dynamic Analysis, Slug Flow Analysis, Water Hammer Analysis, Vibration Assessments, Bill of Materials Management, Nozzle Pro, Industrial Manufacturing Experience, Mining or Mineral Processing Experience, Chemical Processing Experience, EPC Organization Experience

> Lead the piping design team and manage external engineering firms to execute chemical refining processes and software for capital project execution. Responsibilities include performing pipe stress analysis, defining design standards, and ensuring compliance with ASME B31.3 codes.

## 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.

## Role Overview

We are hiring a Staff Piping Engineer to build and lead the piping discipline behind our refining and minerals processing facilities. You will split your time between acting as an owner’s engineer – defining standards and managing contractors' piping engineering – and performing piping engineering work personally. You'll work with piping designers to deliver small- to large-scale projects across a full range of operating conditions. You will also work with our software teams to build tools to accelerate the delivery of piping designs.

## What You’ll Do

- Manage piping engineering across all project scopes including, from small brownfield modifications to major greenfield facilities
- Load-balance work across concurrent projects, hold the schedule for piping deliverables, and coach designers through the work
- Attract non-conventional engineering talent to piping design and engineering positions to develop advanced automation solutions

Develop engineering workflows and standards

- Develop and implement the piping design workflow itself: the path from P&ID to IFC, what gets checked at each gate, and who signs off
- Develop piping related standards, templates and specifications
- Automate the repetitive work with our software team: model-to-stress data exchange, spec-driven checks, quantity reporting, and QC scripting

Own the engineering and stress scope

- Own the pipe stress program: set the criteria, decide which lines are critical, and approve every package
- Direct dynamic analyses, including slug flow, water hammer, relief valve transients, and vibration
- Own piping material specifications, valve specs, and engineering standards, including material selection for hydromet, pyromet, and reagent services
- Design and specify pipe supports, guides, anchors, expansion joints, and specialty components, and own the support detail standards
- Ensure all piping systems comply with ASME B31.3 and B31.1, where applicable
- Drive piping procurement and support construction and commissioning, covering bulk material strategy, long-lead valves and specialty items, field RFIs, redlines, and as-built model closeout

## What You’ll Bring

- 10+ years in piping design and engineering, delivered in an EPC, EPCM, or owner capital projects environment
- Direct experience leading piping engineering teams, including contractor oversight
- Track record building piping design workflows and standards
- Strong pipe stress background in CAESAR II
- Deep working knowledge of ASME B31.3, including allowable load definition and nozzle load evaluation
- Experience developing piping material and valve specifications and pipe support design criteria
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field

## Preferred but not required

- Professional Engineer (PE) license, or the ability to obtain one
- Mining, mineral processing, metallurgical, chemical, or heavy industrial facility experience
- Experience with slurry, reagent, and high-temperature piping, including refractory-lined, lined, and non-metallic systems
- Experience with scripting or model-based design automation

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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