Job DescriptionHexegen has proven its process for producing high-purity, graphene-class carbon nanomaterials. Our Tomball prototype reactors validated both product quality and the repeatability of the reaction. The next build takes that proven chemistry, automates it, and scales it - and it is designed from the outset to be replicated, so that the plant we build in Tomball becomes the template for Hexegen facilities anywhere in the world.
We are hiring a Site Director to lead that work. You will be Hexegen's senior leader on the project: representing our interests through design, construction, and commissioning alongside our engineering partner, then running the facility as a safe, reliable, high-yield operation. Build it once, build it right, and you have built the standard for every Hexegen plant that follows.
ResponsibilitiesWhere We Are The prototype is built and running. It has demonstrated that we can make Hexite™ to specification and make it the same way every time. The chemistry question is closed.
The next facility automates that process and adds capacity. Much of the production system has already been designed, and we have engaged a third-party engineering firm to complete the design and manage construction of the reactor system and facility.
That facility is also our reference design. It is intended to scale in place as demand grows, and to be replicated at future sites - including internationally. Decisions made during this build will be inherited by every plant that follows.
What You Will Do This role is Hexegen's owner's representative on the capital project - accountable for the outcome, not for the drafting. You will hold the design accountable to operability, safety, cost, and replicability. You will own commissioning and startup. You will then run the plant you helped build, and it will become the model we hand to the next site.
Plant Build & Startup- Act as owner's representative to the engineering/EPC partner: hold stage-gate and design reviews, approve scope, and protect operability and maintainability in the design.
- Own the owner's scope of the capital project - budget, schedule, contract and change-order control, and vendor and long-lead equipment management.
- Participate in and drive closure of PHA/HAZOP, LOPA, and layer-of-protection decisions; ensure Management of Change is in place before the first modification, not after.
- Own factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, turnover packages, punch list, and pre-startup safety review (PSSR).
- Build the operating organization ahead of mechanical completion: hire and train operators and maintenance staff, write SOPs, and stand up the CMMS, quality system, and training program.
- Lead commissioning and startup, establishing a safe, reliable path to the plant's designed production capacity.
Repeatable Design & Scale-Up- Hold the engineering partner to a design that is replicable, not bespoke: standardized equipment selections, defensible vendor choices, and documented design basis and rationale.
- Drive standardization of the control system, instrumentation, and automation philosophy so that a future site inherits a working configuration rather than starting over.
- Own the completeness and quality of the design and operating package - P&IDs, equipment specifications, SOPs, training materials, quality methods, and maintenance plans - to the standard required for another team to build and run this plant without you.
- Identify which elements of the design must be fixed across all sites and which can flex to local feedstock, utilities, permitting, and labor conditions.
- Capture lessons learned during construction, commissioning, and startup in a form the next site can actually use.
Plant Operations & Performance- Own all site operations: safety, production, engineering, maintenance, quality, laboratory, warehouse, and site services.
- Deliver on cost, yield, throughput, on-time delivery, and product consistency against customer specifications.
- Establish preventive and predictive maintenance, reliability programs, spares strategy, and asset management.
- Drive continuous improvement - root cause analysis, corrective action, standardized work, and process optimization - and feed proven improvements back into the reference design.
- Own the site operating and capital budgets; provide accurate forecasting and performance reporting.
- Build the leadership bench and workforce plan to support scale-up in place and, in time, to seed the teams that will start up future sites.
Safety, Process Safety & Product Stewardship- Safety is the first measure of this role. We are manufacturing an engineered nanomaterial in a chemical process environment, and we expect the Site Director to set the standard personally rather than delegate it. The standard set here is the one every future Hexegen site will inherit.
- Build and lead a reporting-positive safety culture: high near-miss and hazard reporting, active stop-work authority, and visible leadership in the field.
- Own regulatory compliance for the site across OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and TCEQ requirements, including Process Safety Management where applicable to our process.
- Own the occupational health program for engineered nanomaterial exposure: containment and engineering controls for dry powder handling and transfer, exposure assessment, respiratory protection, and medical surveillance.
- Lead the site safety program, including incident investigation and corrective action to closure with verification of effectiveness.
What Success Looks LikeThrough the build
- You have first-hand command of the process, the prototype data, and the design basis, and a documented, prioritized list of the operability and safety gaps in the current design.
- The governance rhythm with the engineering partner is established: stage gates, change control, and a schedule and budget you own and believe.
- The site's safety, process safety, and quality management systems are documented and in use - not drafted for a future date.
- The operating team is hired and trained before it is needed, not after.
In the first year of operation
- The facility is commissioned, safely started up, and producing to specification at demonstrated rate.
- A maintenance and reliability program is running, and the team can operate without you in the room.
- The design and operating package is complete and validated by the fact that it works - good enough that a second site could be built and started from it. You have a credible, costed model for expansion, both in place and at new locations as demand requires.
QualificationsWhat You'll Bring Required - Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering (strongly preferred) or a closely related engineering discipline.
- Demonstrated experience taking a chemical or materials process from prototype, pilot, or demonstration scale through the design, construction, commissioning, and startup of a commercial production facility - and then operating it. This is the single most important qualification; we care about having done it more than about years served.
- Experience serving as the owner's representative to an external engineering or EPC firm on a capital project of meaningful scale, including budget, schedule, and change-order accountability.
- Deep working knowledge of Process Safety Management and of chemical process operations in a regulated environment.
- Experience leading multi-functional site teams - operations, maintenance, quality, and EHS - including hiring and building an organization from a small base.
- Track record of building maintenance and reliability programs, not inheriting them.
- Comfort with ambiguity, incomplete data, and a small team. This is a startup with a corporate parent, not a mature plant with a corporate staff behind it.
- Effective people, business, and operations leader with the ability to build organizational capability and drive results.
- Ability to attract, develop and retain top talent; setting clear expectations; holding leaders and employees accountable for performance, safety and operational excellence; fostering a culture of engagement and continuous improvement.
- Successful highly performing team that delivers safe, reliable, and efficient operations while strategically supporting the Company's growth objectives.
Preferred - Experience with a replicated or standardized plant design - modular, multi-site, or copy-exact builds - or with technology transfer from one site to another.
- Experience with engineered nanomaterials, carbon black, specialty carbons, catalysts, fine powders, or other high-value solids handling.
- Experience commissioning a highly automated or continuous process with modern control systems.
- Experience building a quality system to customer qualification standards (ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100, or similar) for demanding end markets.
- P&L or site business ownership.
- Prior experience in a venture- or corporate-backed startup environment.
What This Role Is Not You will not have a corporate engineering department, a staffed EHS function, or a deep bench to delegate to on day one - you will be building those. You will not be doing the detailed design; our engineering partner does that, and your job is to make sure what they design is a plant we can safely run for twenty years and repeat somewhere else. And in the first year, a meaningful share of your time will be spent in design reviews, vendor shops, and hiring rather than on a production floor.
Working Conditions - On-site role in Tomball, Texas. Relocation assistance is available.
- Travel during the build phase to vendor facilities and the engineering partner's offices, concentrated around design reviews and equipment acceptance testing.
- Regular presence in manufacturing and laboratory areas requiring PPE, including respiratory protection subject to fit testing and medical clearance.
- Ability to respond to plant issues outside normal business hours, particularly during commissioning and startup.
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