Operations Manager for Injection

Job Description

Our mission is to return the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO???. We convert excess inedible biomass into carbon-rich bio-oil and inject it into underground storage for permanent carbon removal. At scale, we can use bio-oil to make fossil-free iron.

Our carbon removal efforts began in 2020 with initial purchases from customers like Stripe, Shopify, and Microsoft. Since then, we've scaled to thousands of tons of carbon removal, grown to over a hundred employees, and established three locations in San Francisco, Colorado, and Louisiana.

We're expanding our team of ambitious, creative, and hands-on problem solvers. We value psychological safety, collaboration, and continuous learning. We take calculated risks and treat mistakes as opportunities to improve. If you're excited about tackling big challenges, we encourage you to explore our company values.

Come help us reverse climate change. Gigatons or bust!

About the Role

Charm's Basco LA site is the world's first operational bio-oil Injection well - and the platform from which we will scale carbon removal to the next sites. The site has matured into a technically complex facility: multi-feed bio-oil blending, active filtration development, automated PLC state-machine logic, real-time process monitoring, and a growing sample/lab program. As we scale 24/7 operations, the site needs a senior, engineering-trained leader seated locally to own day-of-shift technical decisions and the operator cadence.

The Injection Manager is the senior on-site technical and administrative owner of the Basco facility. They make the call on filtration strategy, viscosity/heating, recirculation vs. injection, and escalation. They run the abnormal-situation playbook (hypothesize ??? test ??? decide ??? write up). They own the weekly cadence - schedule, timecards, training, SOP redlines, hiring, daily orders - and partner with the on-site Operations Supervisor (who leads the crew in the field). They are the single counterpart on-site for our Colorado controls/automation/process engineering team.

This role reports to John Zalewski (COO) and is scoped to lead a crew of 6-12 operators across shifts. The role is built for someone who wants to deeply own one site for 1-2 years and then carry that playbook either into a leadership role at our Colorado HQ or into the founding leadership of our next well-site.

Your Responsibilities

• Daily and shift-handover communication standard so that off-shift engineers can pick up the state of the plant from the notes alone.
• Technical leadership: make the call on filtration strategy, viscosity/heating, recirculation vs. injection, escalation, and stop-work. Lead structured troubleshooting on abnormal events - form hypotheses, design on-site tests, capture before/after data, write up root-cause findings.
• Own the on-site interface for PLC, HMI, automation, and downhole-sensor changes - receive, validate, and execute changes from the controls/automation team without losing context.
• Drive a sample, lab, and data-quality program that gives the engineering and regulatory teams what they need on the first ask.
• Crew partnership: shared safety ownership with the on-site Operations Supervisor; coach operators on diagnostic thinking - not just what to do, but why and what to watch for.
• Operational cadence: publish the weekly operator schedule on a fixed cadence; manage PTO/coverage proactively; own ADP/payroll and timecard accuracy, PTO/overtime approvals, training matrix, SOP redlines, and operator development plans as a fully independent partner to the People Team.
• Hiring and team development: serve as on-site hiring manager for operator-level roles; source, interview, and provide structured, EEO-compliant written feedback on every candidate; run 30/60/90-day development checkpoints; build the bench that lets the site run 24/7 without overtime dependency.
• Build the next-site playbook: capture SOPs, training, abnormal-event write-ups, and lessons learned in a form that transfers to the next site.

You Bring

• BS in Chemical, Mechanical, Petroleum, or related engineering discipline - or equivalent demonstrated technical depth from field experience.
• 7+ years of operating experience in produced-water injection, SWD, EOR, chemical process plants, midstream liquids handling, refining, or comparable fluid-systems operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading structured troubleshooting on abnormal events: pump/filter/viscosity/pressure/flow issues, with written examples you can walk us through.
• Direct supervisory experience leading a crew of 6-12 operators across shifts.
• Comfort owning the administrative side: schedules, timecards, training, SOP discipline.
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task in a fast-paced, ambiguous, novel-process environment, including the ability to communicate clearly in writing when things are uncertain or going badly.
• Ability to relocate or commit to long-stay rotation in rural Louisiana for the full 1-2 year term.
• Valid driver's license; ability to pass pre-employment background, drug, and physical screening; OSHA-eligible.

Bonus if You Bring

• Hands-on experience in Upstream oilfield operations - Class I, II, V, or VI injection wells, including downhole pressure/temperature interpretation.
• Hands-on experience in Downstream oil operations - refineries or terminals with tanks, pumps, compressors, filters, and associated control equipment.
• Experience with PLC/HMI-controlled facilities and working with controls engineers on change management.
• Direct experience as a hiring manager in a payroll-regulated environment (ADP, Kronos, UKG, or similar). Comfort owning timecard approval, PTO/overtime approval, and candidate feedback documentation as non-negotiable weekly work.
• Experience writing and improving SOPs, MOCs, and incident/abnormal-event reports.
• Track record of building an operations team from a small core into a 24/7 organization.
• Comfort with novel processes - bio-oil and biogenic feedstocks are not standard hydrocarbon streams; you should be excited by that, not put off.

$160,000 - $195,000 a year

What We Offer

• Stock options
• Health benefits (medical, dental, vision)
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) with a 50% match on contributions up to 6%
• Paid time off, including parental leave
• A yearly professional development stipend
• Healthy snacks for onsite employees
• A chance to pivot into a role in climate!

Visa Sponsorship Policy

Since we are a small startup, certain accommodations for visa sponsorship may not be within our capability. At this time, Charm Industrial is only sponsoring E3 and TN visas.

Our Commitment

Charm Industrial is an equal opportunity employer. We hire based on skills, experience, and passion for our mission. Climate challenges require a wide range of perspectives and expertise, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We're excited to grow our team with people who bring unique strengths and help us improve as a company.