About the role
Electrical Engineer
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 are hiring an Electrical Engineer to design, build and operate our first copper processing and refining systems.
This role is not a support role. You will take processes from first principles through design, commissioning and production, and you will own performance, reliability, and output.
What You’ll Do
- Design, build, and own the plant’s electrical systems including maintaining, improving, and expanding the existing electrical infrastructure as production scales.
- Own facility electrical infrastructure, including power distribution, electrical loads, and future capacity planning across the plant.
- Translate process concepts, equipment specifications, and production requirements into robust electrical system designs.
- Partner closely with Mechanical, Chemical, Metallurgical, and Controls Engineers to design and build an integrated manufacturing process.
- Lead electrical design and buildout, including service entrance, switchgear, transformers, motor control centers (MCCs), VFDs, feeder and branch circuits, grounding, and industrial controls.
- Own power distribution design and execution, ensuring compliance with NEC, NFPA 70E, and applicable local codes, while coordinating with utilities, contractors, and permitting authorities.
- Support installation, commissioning, startup, and optimization of new equipment through hands-on troubleshooting and root cause analysis on the plant floor.
- Analyze electrical systems, equipment performance, and energy consumption to improve reliability, efficiency, throughput, and operating cost.
- Work directly with equipment vendors, electrical contractors, electricians, and technicians to execute projects quickly and maintain a high standard of craftsmanship.
- Contribute to the development of next-generation automation and manufacturing systems by integrating controls, data infrastructure, AI, and real-time analytics to improve plant performance.
- Help establish engineering standards, documentation, and best practices as we build Red Metals from the ground up.
Red Metals Non-Negotiables
- Bias for Action We move fast. Speed beats polish. We use every tool, especially AI, to accelerate decisions, execution, and learning.
- Grit We do hard things because they matter. We keep pushing when others quit.
- Ownership We own outcomes, not tasks. We see problems, fix them, and follow through across functions.
- Signal We cut through noise. We communicate clearly and directly so decisions are fast and execution stays sharp.
- Craft We take pride in our work. Quality, care, and precision are the standard.
What We’re Looking For
- Degree in Electrical Engineering or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience demonstrating Electrical Engineering capability.
- 3-8+ years in Electrical engineering, ideally in metals, refining or heavy industry.
- Strong fundamentals in industrial power distribution (medium/low/high voltage), motor control (VFDs, MCCs, three-phase systems), electrical load analysis, grounding/bonding, and NEC code application.
- Experience taking electrical systems from print through commissioning into operation.
- Comfortable working on the plant floor in an industrial environment.
- Ability to operate with incomplete information and make sound decisions quickly.
- Demonstrated ability or potential to lead projects or teams in a fast moving low structure environment.
Strong Pluses:
- Experience with large scale industrial electrical design
- Experience with copper or other non-ferrous metals
- Experience commissioning industrial equipment
- Familiarity with process control systems and instrumentation
- Startup or early-stage experience
- Professional Engineering License
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.