Business Operations Associate (First Business Hire)

Note: We only accept U.S. nationals due to obligations around our funding.

About PHNX Materials

PHNX Materials refines coal ash waste into critical products. Our proprietary technology extracts titanium, alumina and rare-earth elements from ash while selling the residual feed as a cement substitute (SCM). Our cost-effective, scalable technology delivers a triple win: securing domestic critical mineral supply chains, helping power producers manage coal ash liabilities, and providing concrete companies a cheaper, greener alternative to cement. Founded by Stanford, McKinsey, and Tesla alumni, PHNX is on a mission to mine this abundant domestic natural resource. We are looking for builders, thinkers, and doers to help us scale from pilot to production.

Position Overview

This is the first business hire at PHNX Materials. You will work directly with and report to the CEO, and you will be embedded with the team on day-to-day operations. This role is for someone who wants to be in the details, working alongside engineers, operators, and partners to move PHNX from pilot to commercial scale. You will help turn customer commitments into daily execution, continuously solve problems, and shape how PHNX goes to market. This is not a support role. You will be critical to PHNX’s success.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with PHNX engineers, operators, and partners on day-to-day execution across pilots and early commercial projects
• Own the translation of customer commitments and contracts into clear operational plans, timelines, and priorities
• Coordinate daily activities across technical, operations, and external teams
• Identify and solve operational issues in real time
• Lead customer communication during execution, setting expectations and managing issues through delivery
• Support site readiness, logistics, scheduling, and deployment planning as PHNX scales from pilot to commercial operations
• Drive continuous improvement of how the company operates by building lightweight processes and tools where needed
• Inform and shape PHNX’s go-to-market approach based on direct learnings from execution and customer interaction
  
  

Qualifications

• Former management consultant (preferably MBB) or investment banker with strong analytical and execution skills
• Operator, or early-stage hire who wants to work directly with the team
• Comfortable balancing customer-facing work with hands-on operational execution
• Organized, detail-oriented, and proactive about solving problems
• Able to communicate clearly across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Excited by fast-paced environments and real-world execution
  
  

What We Offer

• A rare opportunity to design and launch a facility that takes on some of the world’s toughest environmental challenges.
• A fast-paced, mission-driven startup culture where your ideas matter, your work has immediate impact, and your career can grow as quickly as we do.
• The chance to transform heavy industries and be part of a movement rewriting the future of manufacturing and national security.
  
  

Note: We only accept U.S. nationals due to obligations around our funding.

PHNX Materials is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.