Position Overview:MP Materials is seeking a strategic and commercially driven
Senior Director, Sales - Materials to lead the growth of our rare earth materials business segment. Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), this role will define and execute the commercial strategy for a portfolio of critical rare earth products, including NdPr, Ce, La, Sm, Gd, and other potential intermediate and separated products, while driving revenue growth across automotive, electronics, industrial, energy, and defense markets.
The Senior Director will be responsible for developing key customer relationships, identifying and securing new business opportunities, negotiating complex commercial agreements, and guiding the successful commercialization of new products. This leader will work cross-functionally to position MP Materials as a preferred supplier within the global rare earth value chain.
The ideal candidate brings a proven track record of commercial leadership in advanced materials, specialty chemicals, metals, minerals, or related industries, with expertise in strategic sales, customer development, and contract negotiation. Experience supporting new product introductions, qualification processes, and production scale-up is highly desirable.
This is an on-site leadership position based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Key responsibilities- Business development: Find, qualify and close new customers. Build a pipeline that fits planned production volumes and product mix.
- Deal structuring: Draft term sheets and commercial proposals, including volume commitments, index-linked pricing mechanisms, take-or-pay, prepayments, qualification milestones and INCOTERMS.
- Contract negotiation: Lead negotiation of long-term offtake, supply and spot agreements with Legal, Finance, Operations and Executive Committee.
- Account management: Own relationships with existing customers. Manage forecasts, allocations, product qualification, quality issues, renewals and expansions.
- Market intelligence: Track pricing, competitor supply, Chinese export controls and trade/FEOC policy, and turn that into commercial strategy and pricing guidance.
- Team and process: Build and lead a small sales and account management team. Keep CRM discipline, pipeline reporting and forecasting accurate.
Basic Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, chemistry, materials science, metallurgy or a related field.
- 7 + years of B2B commercial experience in critical minerals, metals, specialty chemicals, mining or a similar industrial commodity. At least 5 years should be in a senior sales, business development or key account role.
- A proven record of originating and closing multi-year, high-value supply or offtake agreements.
- Hands-on experience drafting term sheets and negotiating complex commercial contracts: pricing mechanisms, volume and take-or-pay terms, INCOTERMS, liabilities, and warranties.
- Strong commercial and financial skills. Comfortable building deal economics, pricing models and credit/risk assessments.
- Executive presence. Able to represent MP with C-suite customers, and government stakeholders.
- Willingness to travel regularly, domestically and internationally (about 30-40%)
Preferred Qualifications:- Direct experience in rare earths, battery materials, and/or other critical minerals supply chains.
- Technical understanding of rare earth products and use cases.
- Familiarity with defense and government-linked procurement.
- Experience building a commercial function in a high-growth or scale-up setting.
- Experience selling to international customers, especially in Japan, Korea or Europe, and managing cross-border logistics and trade-compliance issues.
- An MBA or other advanced degree.
