Process Safety Engineer

About the Role

Niron is scaling a first-of-its-kind manufacturing technology, and process safetyhas toscale with it. This role is a rare opportunity to help shape the PSM system behind a new material platform as Niron moves from Pilot operations into Plant 1, our first major scale-up manufacturing facility in Sartell, MN.

You will not be starting from a blank page. Niron already has active PHA, MOC, PSSR, and related process safety practices in place, along with current Process Safety technical staff. The opportunity is to help connect, mature, and scale that foundation so PSM work is easier to see, easier to own, and harder to lose as work moves from design and change through plant commissioning, Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR), startup, and operations.

This is a hands-on process safety program role.You willparticipateinPSM technical activitiesandwork with existing Process Safety technical staff and functional ownersto build the cadence, visibility, action item follow-up, and escalation routines that keep the broader system moving.Just as important, you will help build a process safety culture where hazard recognition, near-miss reporting, and stopping work are shared values — not compliance obligations.

Regulatory & Process Context

Niron's process safety programoperateswithin the framework of OSHA's Process Safety Managementstandard(29 CFR 1910.119), EPA's Risk Management Program requirements, and applicable Minnesota (MNOSHA) regulations. The role covers process safety for chemical and high-hazard manufacturing operations across Pilot and Plant 1, including hazardous material handling, reactive chemistry, and associated process equipment involved in Niron's Iron Nitride production process.

Scope

This role currently supportsPilot and Plant 1, with an explicit mandate to build templates, routines, and governance practices designed to scale tofuture Niron manufacturing sitesas the company grows. This is a multi-site program-building role, not a single-site compliance position.

Whatyou'lldo

Connect PSM structure and visibility

• Help translate existing PSM and plant readiness deliverables into a clear operating rhythm by keeping owners, timing, dashboards, leadership updates, and escalation paths visible.

• Maintain visibility to PSM element health, priority gaps, aging actions, evidence needs, owner follow-up, and decisions requiring escalation.

• Connect related PSM workstreams so Process Safety Information (PSI), Process Hazard Analysis (PHA), Management of Change (MOC), PSSR, training, safeguards, incident learning, audits, and contractor or project interfaces do notoperateas isolated activities.

• Track and report leading indicators (PHA action closure rates, training completion, safety observation trends) alongside lagging indicators and use both to reinforce — not undercut — the culture goals above.

Build a Process Safety Culture

• Helpchampion process safety as a shared value, not a checklist — building trust so hazards, near-misses, and weak signalsare surfacedearly and without blame.

• Model and reinforce a "stop work" mindset, and support operators and technical staff in exercising that authority confidently.

• Recognize and reinforce good process safety behavior, not just corrective actions after the fact.

Participate in PSM technical work and translate risk into follow-through

• Participate/facilitateiPHAs,MOC risk reviews,PSSRreviews, actionitemdevelopmentand resolution, and safeguard discussions.

• Support MOC and related change governance by making sure technical concerns are assigned to the right owner and followed through to an action, decision, documented closure, or escalation.Build andmaintaina clear governance process forprocesssafety-related action items, including owner visibility, aging, closure expectations, action quality, evidence quality, and escalation.

• Partner withothertechnical Process Safety resources and functional owners while preserving the right boundaries for final technical decisions and field execution.

• Participate in safety-by-design reviews during capital project design phases (e.g., front-end engineering design)soprocess safety is built into Plant 1 and future site design decisions rather than retrofitted after the fact.

Support readiness, field verification, and scalable practices

• Spend meaningful time in the field to understand plant reality,observewhere documented controls meet real work, and help surface weak signals before they become late-stage readiness problems.

• Support practical verification routines for critical process safety controls, safeguards, readiness conditions, and change commitments.

• Identifyprocess safety lessons from Plant 1 readiness, commissioning, startup, and early operations that should be applied more broadly, and use them to improve PSM standards, workflows, and governance for future Niron sites.

• Support PSM-related contractor coordination during design, construction, and commissioning, including contractor expectations, role clarity,requireddocumentation, and alignment with Niron’sProcess SafetyElements.

Partner with Pilot and Plant Operations Toward Shared Goals

• Build a close, trust-based partnership with Pilot and Plant 1 operations leadership grounded in shared goals — safe, reliablestartupand operations — rather than a compliance-versus-production dynamic.

• Co-develop readiness milestones and success criteria withOperationsso process safety expectations are understood and owned well beforeand through startup.

• Stay closely connected to day-to-day operationalrealitiesso PSM guidance reflects how workactually happenson the floor, not just how it's documented.

Own Training Visibility and Follow-Through

• Maintain visibility into process safety training requirements, completion status, and readiness gaps for operators, technical staff, and contractors.

• Partner with technical staff and Operations to ensure training content stays current with PSM element changes, incident learnings, and startup readiness needs.

Required and Preferred Experience