Director, Commercial Planning
Who we are:
We are on a mission to become a leading supplier of critical materials that enable the green energy and technology revolution. Our materials and technologies are required for the electric vehicle, green energy, consumer electronics, and defense industries, and our battery grade lithium and tech metals are needed for chipsets, semiconductors, and 5G.
We have a substantial interest in the Round Top, Heavy Rare Earth, Lithium and Critical Minerals deposit in West Texas. We have also developed the United States' first rare earth and critical minerals processing facility and we own the only scalable, sintered neo-magnet manufacturing system in the Western Hemisphere. By developing this fully integrated, US-based "mine-to-magnet" critical mineral supply chain, we are poised to become the leading domestic supplier to these industries.
What you can expect:
At USA Rare Earth, we are pioneers and problem solvers, technologists and team players. Together, we:
Build Solutions : If our task was a simple one, it would already be done. We are creative and solution-oriented, and we think outside the box to solve important problems. We know that a range of expertise and technologies is needed for success, and we work across sectors and alongside customers to deliver world-class solutions in sustainable ways.
Deliver Quality : When we do things, we do them well. We believe that top-tier quality leads to industry competitiveness and we hold ourselves to the highest quality standards. We move fast when executing, but safety, quality, and excellence always come first.
Lead responsibly : We have a responsibility to the planet, our consumers, our country, and each other. We put safety at the center of all we do, take accountability for our actions, incorporate sustainable practices in our processes and act with the financial best interest of our investors and consumers in mind.
Win Together : Establishing a rare earth magnet supply chain is a big undertaking - and getting there is a team effort. We communicate openly, work together and challenge each other in pursuit of our goals. With every step we take we learn and get better.
Position Overview
The Director, Commercial Planning is a senior individual contributor who serves a key integration role across USA Rare Earth's three business units - Mining, LCM Metals, and Magnets. Sitting within the CCO office, this role has two equally important mandates: (1) building and running the company's integrated Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) cycle, and (2) facilitating the development of go-to-market and commercial plans across the business units using consistent frameworks and rigorous analysis. This is a hands-on operator role - the Director will work directly alongside BU leadership, supply chain managers, and Finance to drive enterprise-level commercial clarity.
Key Responsibilities
S&OP Cycle Leadership
Design, implement, and operate USAR's monthly four-week S&OP cycle across all three business units - Mining (Round Top), LCM Metals (UK), and Magnets + Future Acquisitions.
Facilitate BU-level supply and demand reviews in Weeks 1-2, ensuring each BU ops and commercial team runs its own review on a shared calendar and common data template
Lead the Week 3 enterprise integration meeting: reconcile material balance across the mine-to-magnet chain, consolidate transfer pricing and margin, and flag cross-chain risks and decisions
Prepare and present the Week 4 executive S&OP package for CCO, CFO, and ELT. Partner with FP&A a monthly board operating report
Work closely with embedded supply chain managers in each BU to ensure data quality, on-time submission, and consistency of assumptions
Leverage AI tools heavily [e.g., Claude Enterprise] to automate data consolidation, scenario modelling, and draft package preparation, freeing the role to focus on analysis and decision support
Commercial Planning & Go-to-Market Facilitation
Facilitate the development of commercial plans for each BU using consistent analytical frameworks: market sizing, competitive positioning, strategic options, financial modelling, and risk/downside scenarios
Build board-ready commercial planning packages with rigorous financial models co-developed with embedded FP&A resources in each BU
Maintain and synthesize market intelligence from Fastmarkets, Argus Media, ADAMAS Intelligence, and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence to anchor commercial assumptions in external data
Manage relationships with external advisors and industry specialists engaged on specific work streams
Cross-Functional Coordination
Work closely with Legal on contract structures, offtake terms etc.
Partner with Finance/CFO office on transfer pricing, margin modelling, and financial narrative for board presentations
Coordinate with BU commercial and sales leads to ground plans in customer pipeline reality and pricing feasibility
Prepare ELT and board-level materials that are analytically rigorous, visually clear, and decision-ready
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Deep understanding of S&OP process design and execution in a multi-site industrial or commodities business; experience running enterprise integration cycles across P&Ls
Strong commercial acumen with the ability to build, challenge, and communicate financial models - comfortable working alongside FP&A without being dependent on them
Experience developing go-to-market or commercial plans in a B2B industrial @context; familiarity with offtake structures, pricing mechanisms, and long-term supply agreements
Excellent executive communication and storytelling skills - able to build board-ready presentations that translate complex commercial dynamics into clear decisions
Proficiency with leading AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) as productivity multipliers for analysis, modelling, and document preparation
Advanced PowerPoint and Excel; familiarity with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) a plus
Knowledge of rare earth, critical minerals, or energy transition supply chains preferred
Collaborative and low-ego operator - comfortable facilitating without directing, and influencing without authority across BU GMs and functional leaders
Minimum Requirements
MBA or equivalent advanced degree required
8-12 years of relevant experience, with a combination of management consulting (top-tier strategy or Big 4 strategy practice) and in-house commercial planning, S&OP, or business development
Demonstrated track record of building commercial or go-to-market plans from scratch in a resource-constrained environment
Experience presenting to senior executive and board-level audiences
Willingness to travel to USAR's operating sites (Round Top TX, Serra Verde Brazil, Lacq France, UK, and Stillwater OK) as required
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stand, move, sit, carry, bend, kneel, reach, push, pull, lift, use hands and fingers, handle, or feel, and talk and hear. May be required to lift and move boxes or packages not exceeding 20 pounds in weight. Some work stress inherent to the position and extended work hours may be required.
Work Environment
The work environment will be an office environment. Noise level: Normal office noises.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required of personnel so classified. Reporting relationships may not reflect the most recent changes to the organization.
USA Rare Earth proudly supports Equal Employment Opportunities
USA Rare Earth's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and will provide reasonable accommodations according to applicable federal, state, and/or local laws.
For assistance applying for employment through this site due to disability, please contact People & Culture, people@usare.com, to discuss reasonable accommodations.
Department: Corporate
