Head of Operations

Head of Operations

Location : Bay Area preferred, flexible for the right candidate

About the role

As our first Head of Operations & People, you'll be the foundational force enabling our scientists and engineers to do their best work. This is a hands-on role focusing on the "back-end" operational, people and administrative functions, rather than scaling mine operations.

You will be in charge of how our systems and people operate across the company, managing everything from lab logistics and procurement to HR processes, hiring, and internal operating system design.

Responsibilities

• Drive all day-to-day operations, including equipment, supplies, safety, and scheduling, ensuring our team has everything they need to innovate.
• Oversee purchasing, receipts, and vendor relationships to optimize our budget and secure the best resources.
• Act as the hub for all hiring, onboarding, and HR processes, helping us build a world-class team.
• Design, implement, and improve the internal systems that keep us accountable and efficient as we grow.
• Act as the primary point of contact for external partners and contractors, ensuring seamless operational collaboration.

Who we are

Thunderstone is a deep-tech startup reinventing how the world accesses critical metals. Traditional mining is excavation-heavy, expensive, and environmentally destructive. We’re using underground lightning (high-voltage pulses) to open microscopic pathways in ore bodies, letting fluids flow and extract metals without digging.

Our work makes mining cleaner, cheaper, and scalable, unlocking the nickel, copper, and other metals the clean energy transition demands. We’re proud to be part of the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, backed by world-class investors and strategic partners (including Rio Tinto).

If you want to be part of a company where your work doesn't just move experiments forward, but helps move the planet toward a sustainable future, Thunderstone is the place.

Requirements

Benefits