Plant Operator

Plant Operator

North Charleston, South Carolina

Onsite

About Red Metals

Red Metals is rethinking the domestic copper supply chain at a pivotal moment in American industry.

U.S. demand already exceeds domestic supply, and the gap is widening as grid modernization, the energy transition, and buildout of AI infrastructure accelerate. We are building a new model for this critical industrial layer in the United States.

Conventional refining moves copper through concentrate, matte, anode, and cathode before it becomes rod. We go straight from scrap to rod in one facility, using our integrated flowsheet that brings together shredders, mills, physical AI, and molten metal chemistry.

We are building our first production line in North Charleston, South Carolina: a $70M investment in the future of American-made copper.

The Role

We’re looking for someone to own the day-to-day operations of our first copper processing and refining facility in Charleston.

This role lives on the plant floor and covers anything the plant needs. Some days you’ll be helping solve a production problem. Some days you’ll be fixing a conveyer. Some days you’ll be unloading a truck because it needs to get done. You’ll start hands-on, and the role grows as the company grows. The more you own, the more you lead.

We care far more about drive, judgment, and how fast you learn than about titles or certifications.

What You’ll Do

• Keep the plant running safely and efficiently, every day
• Own production, from material coming in the door to finished product going out
• Find what’s broken or slow and fix it, whether it's equipment, a process, or a practice
• Work side by side with engineering on startup, troubleshooting, and improvements
• Build the systems, habits, and standards the plant runs on
• Help hire and develop the people who will run the plant with you as we scale

Red Metals Non-Negotiables

1. Bias for Action

We move fast. Speed beats polish. We use every tool, especially AI, to accelerate decisions, execution, and learning.

2. Grit

We do hard things because they matter. We keep pushing when others quit.

3. Ownership

We own outcomes, not tasks. We see problems, fix them, and follow through across functions.

4. Signal

We cut through noise. We communicate clearly and directly so decisions are fast and execution stays sharp.

5. Craft

We take pride in our work. Quality, care, and precision are the standard.

What We're Looking For

• You’ve built, fixed, or run something hard that nobody asked you to take on
• You’re the person people call when something breaks
• You’d rather get your hands dirty than wait for instructions
• You teach yourself what you don’t know, and you do it fast
• You want more responsibility and you’re willing to earn it

Experience in manufacturing, metals, the trades, the military, or a startup is useful. None of it is required.

Why Red Metals

• Build a company from zero, not optimize an existing system
• Direct ownership of critical process and operational decisions
• Work on a problem that matters: rebuilding U.S. industrial capacity
• Small team, high trust, no bureaucracy

Location

This role is based in North Charleston, South Carolina and requires on-site work.

The role operates on a standard Monday through Friday schedule, with the expectation of shift flexibility as the operation scales.