Role description
Kunin TechnologiesWHO WE ARE
Kunin Technologies is revolutionizing the critical mineral supply chain by implementing advanced separation technologies to capture value from overlooked resources.
Metals are everywhere, in solar panels, smartphones, electric vehicles, but as ore grades plummet globally, traditional extraction methods are failing. China dominates critical minerals markets by developing superior separation technologies that extract value from materials American mines discard as waste.
Utilizing Kunin Technologies' breakthrough performance, ion-exchange media significantly more value can be produced from each resource, reducing waste, and unlocking metal abundance.
To achieve metal abundance, humanity must bring separation science down its own Moore’s Law: fix the idiot cost index for micro and nano scale separation materials. This requires mass manufacturing novel ion-exchange media form factors which previously struggled from high costs.
THE ROLE
Kunin’s product scales the way a battery does. Ion-exchange media is built into elements, elements are packaged into exchange modules, and modules are mounted on skidded systems, the way an electrode becomes a cell, a pack and then a system. The module is a polypropylene pressure vessel with special fittings and internals around the media; the skid is the piped, wired system shipped to a recovery plant. You own how modules and skids get made: the automated assembly cell for the module itself, the fabrication and welding of the polypropylene vessels and fittings, and the automated fabrication and welding of the skids they sit on. You start hands-on, building and commissioning the first module assembly and skid fabrication cells in Chattanooga, and you grow into running module and skid production as volumes climb.
This is a growth role. We are hiring an early-to-mid career engineer who has automated assembly, fabrication or welding on a real production floor and wants to become the Head of Manufacturing or Production for modules and skids as Kunin scales from the first recovery plants to one hundred. You will hire and lead the production team as it forms.
You are part of a dozen-person, rapidly growing team in Chattanooga, TN. The media line that feeds the modules is being delivered by the end of 2027; module and skid production has to be ready for it.
Module and skid production becomes the basis of a greenfield manufacturing facility in Series A – B, at 10X the scale, with automated material handling and integrated media packaging.
By 2030, we want to be the world’s largest volume producer of ion-exchange media.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Module assembly automation: design, source and commission the cell that loads elements into the module, seats internals and fittings, closes and seals the polypropylene vessel, and pressure-tests it, with in-line inspection and reject handling
Polypropylene vessel and fitting fabrication: plastic welding (butt fusion, extrusion and infrared welding), machining of fittings and internals, leak and burst testing, and the material and process qualification behind each
Supply chain for modules and skids: qualify and manage the vendors for plastic welding, machined fittings, vessels, frames and bought-out components; set up incoming inspection, FATs at the vendor and process qualification before first article
Skid fabrication and welding automation: frame fabrication, robotic or fixtured welding of steel and plastic piping, welding procedure qualification, hydrotest, and the assembly sequence from frame to shipped skid
Production readiness: takt and throughput models, bills of material, routings, OEE tracking, changeover procedures, and the operating procedures and training the first production operators run on
Equipment execution: specifications, vendor selection, FATs and SATs, installation and commissioning of assembly, fabrication and welding equipment, on schedule and on budget
Safety and quality for a fabrication shop: guarding, robot and welding safety, LOTO, pressure-equipment quality records, and traceability of every module and skid shipped
Growth into the Head of Manufacturing or Production role: hiring and leading production staff, owning the daily plan, and laying the groundwork for the 10X greenfield facility
QUALIFICATIONS AND PREFERRED SKILLS
Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, welding or mechatronics engineering.
3-8 years automating assembly, fabrication or welding on a production line: robotic welding cells, fixtures and tooling, plastic welding, pressure vessel or filter housing assembly, or skid and module fabrication; water treatment, filtration, battery pack, packaging or electronics assembly backgrounds preferred.
Has specified, commissioned and started up automated equipment with vendors and integrators, and has written the procedures operators run on.
Hands-on with thermoplastic fabrication (polypropylene, PVDF or similar), welding processes and pressure testing, and comfortable with robot programming (FANUC, ABB, KUKA or similar) and PLC-driven equipment.
Wants to lead: has supervised technicians or operators, or has been the person the floor goes to when the line stops.
Creative problem solving that brings together mechanical design, fabrication, automation and the chemistry the modules will see in service.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Position located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Travel to partners’ facilities may be intermittently required.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Extended hours and weekends frequently required to support critical project milestones.
"The Whole World Is Ion-Exchange And The Rest Are Merely Details!"
Dr. Robert Kunin of Rohm and Haas, The Pioneer of the Ion-Exchange Industry, 1951