# Member of the Special Projects Staff **Company:** [Mariana Minerals](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-companies/mariana-minerals) **Location:** San Francisco HQ **Work mode:** On-site **Seniority:** Senior **Employment type:** Full Time **Salary:** USD 170K–185K/yr **Category:** Operations **Department:** Special Projects **Listed:** 2026-09-30 [View and apply on Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/mariana-minerals/member-of-the-special-projects-staff-0c2e3425-1f0e-41c8-b5f1-c3a8a0cbf933) ## What you'll do - Own ambiguous problems end-to-end and drive to defined outcomes - Lead cross-functional teams without org-chart authority - Build lasting systems and processes while delivering iterative solutions - Communicate strategy and consensus clearly across all levels - Make independent decisions aligned with company strategy ## What you need - 5+ yrs owning undefined problems in engineering, ops, consulting, or startup - Deliver results through influence without direct authority - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills - Engage deeply with technical and commercial domains (mining, finance, software, robotics) - Willing to travel 25-50% to mines and refineries ## 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. ### The Role Special Projects is a high-agency problem-solving team at Mariana, empowered by leadership to solve the company’s most critical and least defined problems. In any organization, there are high-leverage, ambiguous problems that either fall between organizational structures or have proven intractable within a team. Special Projects solves these problems by embedding quickly, using first-principles thinking to decomp problems, leading cross-functional execution, and iterating rapidly toward a solution before moving on to the next challenge. It is a dynamic, high-ownership, low-ego team that requires seasoned, independent problem-solvers. Problem spaces include but are not limited to: engineering, operations, software development, new project development, finance, brand, and more. We are calling all ambitious, eccentric generalists who want to build a generational company. ### What You'll Do - Own critical, ambiguous problems end-to-end: take on discrete problems with diverse stakeholders and drive to defined outcomes with high visibility within the company. - Build and lead teams you won't manage: assemble the right people from across the company for each project, set a pace, and bring them along. If your effectiveness has historically depended on org-chart authority, this will be a difficult role. - Build systems that outlast the project: deliver iterative working solutions while creating the processes so the project succeeds on its own. This is very much a hands-on builder role. - Communicate relentlessly and plainly: up and down the chain, set strategic direction and build consensus. - Execute with judgment: make real decisions in leadership's absence consistent with the company’s strategy; identify and scope special projects for the team. ### Who You Are - High agency: you have a strong bias for action. You are willing to push, experiment, and act without waiting for instructions. - Low ego: you are more interested in the problem being solved than in being seen solving it. - High EQ: you understand people intuitively and know how to get the best out of them. - Magnetic: people are drawn to working with you. - Curious: you want to know how the block model is built, how a refinery works, where sorbent comes from, how legal contracts are structured, why we care about accruals, how best to do a retro, why the model says what it says, and so on. - Comfortable with ambiguity: you are not scared of endless shades of grey. - Direct: you speak and write plainly and clearly. - Composed: as the old special operations adage goes, be a duck. You are calm under pressure. - Quick study: you get to working literacy in unfamiliar technical or commercial domains quickly while maintaining humility. - Gritty: you are excited by the opportunity to work through gnarly problems. ### Qualifications - 5-8+ years in roles that demanded ownership of undefined problems: engineering, operations, consulting, banking, construction, founder or early-employee at a startup, military service, or comparable. Preference for those who have operated at high-growth startups. - Demonstrated ability to deliver results through people who do not report to you. - Exceptional written and verbal communication. - Willingness to engage seriously with both technical and commercial material (mining/process engineering, construction, contract structure, financial modeling, software, robotics, autonomy architecture). Depth in any one of these areas is a plus, but genuine interest in all is a requirement. - Willingness to travel to our mines and refineries (Moab, UT; East Texas; potential international operations); 25-50% but subject to change. - No mining experience required, but industrial, technology, construction, aerospace, and/or manufacturing experience is a plus. ### **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!** ## Other open roles at Mariana Minerals - [Analytical Lab Chemist](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/mariana-minerals/analytical-lab-chemist-1b0310c9-1473-4330-8b6e-975ea983a5ba) — San Francisco HQ - [Regional Environmental Manager](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/mariana-minerals/environmental-manager-3732efec-c403-44b6-85ee-0c041fc6373a) — Moab, UT - [Maintenance Technician – Electrical & Controls](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/mariana-minerals/maintenance-technician-electrical-controls-5fb6514b-92f4-4e02-b2c2-656dbfb6dec7) — Joaquin, TX - [Procurement Manager, Construction](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/mariana-minerals/procurement-manager-construction-46d5a635-c70b-4a81-ae38-9cc9d37e1801) — San Francisco HQ - [Staff Instrumentation and Controls Engineer](https://zerogtalent.com/frontier-jobs/mariana-minerals/staff-instrumentation-and-controls-engineer-4db588c3-f517-4ff7-82d5-5fbd8f1efb9e) — San Francisco HQ --- *Source: [Zero G Talent](https://zerogtalent.com), the job board for space, defense, AI, robotics and frontier-tech companies.*