Role / Critical minerals
Critical minerals executive search.
The energy transition runs on a short list of minerals, and an even shorter list of people who know how to produce them.
A critical minerals executive search finds leaders for companies that mine, process or recycle minerals like lithium, copper, nickel, graphite and rare earths. Steward Well runs these searches for companies from $50M to $500M in revenue, partner-led, with a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and a written 12-month guarantee.
Why is critical minerals leadership so hard to hire?
The sector is growing fast, and the pool of proven leaders is small. Many projects are first of their kind in the U.S. Few people have taken a processing plant from design to steady output.
We wrote more on this in why critical minerals leadership is the hardest hire.
Which roles do critical minerals companies need?
- Project directors who can take a plant from design to first output
- Processing and metallurgy leaders
- VP Operations for steady production
- CFOs who can manage project finance, grants and offtake deals
- Commercial leaders who sell into battery and grid supply chains
Where do strong candidates come from?
Some come from mining. Many come from chemicals, oil and gas refining or battery manufacturing, where the process skills carry over. We map those adjacent fields for every search.
We then test for the specific thing you need, whether that's a first plant start, a cost reset or a permitting process.
How does a Steward Well search run?
- Discovery. A partner meets the owner, the board or sponsor, and the team the leader will inherit.
- A written success profile. What this person must have done by month twelve, agreed before we call anyone.
- An original market map. Built for your seat, not pulled from a stack of resumes.
- A calibrated shortlist in 21 days. Qualified, interested and assessed against the profile.
- Scored interviews, deep references and offer support. The search closes in 45 to 90 days.
- Twelve months of check-ins, backed by a written 12-month guarantee.
A partner runs every step. You never get handed to a junior team after the pitch. See the full approach.
Questions buyers ask first
Which minerals count as critical?
Lists differ by agency. Copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earths appear on most. The USGS tracks over 90 minerals and materials in its yearly summaries.
Do you search for leaders of recycling companies?
Yes. Battery recycling is part of the same supply chain and draws on similar process skills.
How long does the search take?
We commit in writing to a calibrated shortlist in 21 days and a completed search in 45 to 90 days.
Can you find CFOs for project-stage companies?
Yes. Project finance experience is the key test, and our finance practice leads that search.
See where your search stands before it starts.
The readiness diagnostic takes two minutes. It shows the gaps that slow a search down. When you're ready, a partner takes the first call.