Chief Financial Officer

Element3 (Lithos Industries Inc.)

Location: Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (HQ) with travel to West Texas operations and Washington, DC

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Direct reports: Corporate Controller; finance and accounting organization

Type: Full-time, Executive Leadership Team

About Element3

Element3 is commercializing Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology applied to produced water from the Permian Basin — the first new commercial lithium mining project in the United States since the late 1960s. We are entering commercial lithium carbonate production at our West Texas facility, supported by feedstock partnerships with leading water midstream operators.

The company is preparing a Series B equity raise paired with a parallel debt facility to fund commercial scale-up. We are building a durable, domestic critical minerals producer.

The Role

Element3 is hiring a CFO to lead the company's capital formation and corporate development agenda as we scale commercial lithium carbonate production. This is a deal-oriented role: the CFO will run the Series B equity raise, lead structuring and closing of the company's debt facility, and own strategic transactions.

The CFO will oversee the finance organization, including a Corporate Controller who owns the accounting core — close, controls, cost accounting, and audit. The CFO's job is to set financial strategy, put capital on the balance sheet on the best possible terms, represent the company with partners, investors and lenders, ensuring the finance function beneath them is institutional grade.

The right candidate has led complex equity and debt transactions as a principal and has the operating judgment to be a true partner to the CEO in a fast-moving, capital-intensive business.

Key Responsibilities:

Capital Formation & Transactions

•    Lead execution of the Series B equity raise end-to-end: positioning, materials, investor outreach coordination, diligence and data room management, term sheet negotiation, and closing

•    Lead structuring, negotiation, and closing of the company's debt facility, including lender selection, term negotiation, intercreditor issues, and conditions to close; own ongoing covenant compliance and lender relationships

•    Manage the cap table and obligations under investor agreements; own equity and debt capitalization strategy across future rounds and project financings

•    Evaluate and execute strategic transactions: offtake and prepayment structures, joint ventures, and project-level investment

•    Drive government funding strategy and execution across DOE and other federal programs, including loan programs, grants, and cost-share awards; represent the company with agency officials and advisors

Financial Strategy & Planning

•    Own the corporate and project financial models, including unit economics, cost positioning, and scenario/sensitivity analysis used in capital raising and board decisions

•    Set capital allocation strategy across plant expansion, working capital, and technology development

•    Lead commodity price risk strategy: pricing structures, indexation, and hedging as offtake agreements are negotiated and executed

•    Direct FP&A: annual budget, rolling forecast, and management reporting cadence

Investor Relations & Governance

•    Serve as the company's primary financial voice with investors, lenders, and the board

•    Prepare board materials and lead financial presentations; support board committees as governance matures

•    Build public-company-readiness posture over time as a marker for future strategic optionality

Finance Organization Leadership

•    Oversee the Corporate Controller and the accounting function, ensuring the close, controls, cost accounting, audits, and grant compliance meet institutional and lender standards

•    Set treasury strategy — liquidity, banking structure, and payment controls — with day-to-day execution running through the Controller organization

•    Oversee tax strategy, including capture of the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit and other federal and Texas incentives, with substantiation executed by the Controller

•    Recruit, develop, and scale the finance team as the company grows

Qualifications:

Required

•    15 years of finance experience spanning capital markets transactions and operating company leadership; prior CFO or senior finance-executive experience at a growth-stage or project-driven company

•    Demonstrated principal-side track record leading institutional equity raises and structured debt or project finance transactions from origination through close

•    Transaction fluency: term sheets, credit agreements, intercreditor arrangements, investor rights, and M&A documentation — able to drive negotiations directly with counsel in support

•    Strong financial modeling command, including project finance and commodity-linked economics

•    Experience in energy, mining, chemicals, infrastructure, or other capital-intensive industrial sectors

•    Proven ability to lead and develop a finance organization, including oversight of controllership and audit

Strongly Preferred

•    Experience with federal funding programs (DOE loan programs, grants, cost-share awards) and government stakeholder engagement

•    Familiarity with commodity offtake structures, prepayments, and royalty arrangements

•    Background in investment banking, private equity, or project finance prior to operating roles

•    Familiarity with critical minerals, battery supply chain, or energy transition markets

•    MBA, CFA, or equivalent; CPA not required

Attributes

•    Deal focused with operating judgment

•    Direct communicator who surfaces tradeoffs and gives concrete recommendations based on data and metrics

•    Credible across audiences: institutional investors, lenders, federal agencies, and plant operations

•    High integrity and rigor

Compensation

Competitive executive compensation including base salary, performance bonus, and meaningful equity participation. Details commensurate with experience.

Element3 is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.