Key Services & Transition Support Director

Lithium Americas is a North American resource and materials company focused on developing, building, and operating lithium deposits and chemical processing facilities. The company’s flagship asset, Thacker Pass, is located in Humboldt County in northern Nevada and is the world’s largest known measured lithium source and reserve. We are focused on safely and responsibly developing Thacker Pass to production to help strengthen national security and enable cleaner energy sources. We are committed to minimizing environmental impact, creating family-supporting jobs, and maximizing sustainable value for our stakeholders. 

Key Services & Transition Support Director

Company Overview

Lithium Americas is a North American resource and materials company focused on developing, building and operating lithium deposits and chemical processing facilities. The company’s flagship asset, Thacker Pass, is located in Humboldt County in northern Nevada and is the world’s largest known measured lithium resource and reserve. We are focused on safely and responsibly developing Thacker Pass to production to help strengthen national security and enable cleaner energy sources. We are committed to minimizing environmental impact, creating family-supporting jobs and maximizing sustainable value for our stakeholders.

Lithium Americas is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and operates in the U.S., with offices in Reno, NV and Winnemucca, NV. The Company’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol LAC.

Our Purpose, Vision and Values

Our purpose, vision and values are the guiding principles that will serve as the cornerstone of our company’s future direction and operations, aligning our team and organization towards our common goals.

Our Purpose is to safely and sustainably produce lithium from Thacker Pass to enable North America to reduce dependence on foreign critical minerals and drive value for our stakeholders.

Our Vision is to be North America’s leading lithium producer to enable cleaner energy sources.

Our Values include Act with Integrity, Be Responsible and Act with Care, Commit to Excellence and Drive Innovation, and Be a Collaborative Partner.

Role

We are seeking a Key Services & Transition Support Director to provide senior operational leadership in support  of the transition of our Thacker Pass Plant from project execution through  commissioning, startup, ramp-up, and into operations. The role will also lead the development and implementation of EHSQ (Environmental, Health, Safety, and Quality) systems to support safe and effective operations. In this role, you will support Lithium America’s efforts to ensure workplace safety and compliance with applicable OSHA and MSHA requirements, work closely with the Operations teams to ensure an effective startup of the plant, establish environmental protection and regulatory compliance programs, and implement a top-tier quality management system. This role will work closely with the Operations, Supply Chain, Corporate ESG, Commercial, and Finance teams to ensure effective, sustainable, and industry-leading processes and systems are implemented across the business. This role will play a critical role in the successful transition of Thacker Pass from construction and commissioning through startup,  ramp-up, and operations. Functions reporting to this role will include Safety, Security, Environmental, and Quality for the Thacker Pass Site.

The role is based in Winnemucca, NV, and reports to the Executive VP of Project and Operations. Travel to other LAC offices, industry conferences, customer sites, project sites, vendor locations, and other locations will be required as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Design and execute long-term visions, policies, and management systems across multiple sites for the business.
• Site Leadership:  This role oversees multiple site services functions and programs for our operations team to help guide us in setting up the programs and processes to ensure a successful startup of our Thacker Pass Plant. 
• Support our Site Operations  Director in ensuring our commissioning, ramp-up and operational programs are being safely executed on schedule and within budget. This may require leading and contributing to certain committees as directed by the Site Operations Director.
• Culture Building: Drive a proactive, behavior-based safety, environmental, and quality culture that engages employees at all levels and sites.
• Program Management: Design, implement, and direct comprehensive support or transitional programs with the Project and Operations Teams.
• Regulatory Compliance: Support compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulatory requirements (such as OSHA, MSHA, EPA,NDEP, BLM, etc.), managing permits, inspections, and agency relations.
• Quality Assurance: Integrate quality control standards with safety protocols to ensure operational excellence and defect reduction.
• Customer Corrective Action System: Identify, lead, and implement customer resolution and continuous improvement system for the company.
• Standards Implementation: Lead initiatives to certify sites under ISO standards (ISO-9001 Quality, ISO-14001 Environmental, and ISO-45001 Safety), mining standards such as RMI (Responsible Minerals Initiative) and IRMA (Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance), as well as others.
• Risk Management: Oversee risk assessments, hazard evaluations, and root-cause analyses following safety or quality incidents.  Proactively identify and anticipate emerging risks and ensure appropriate mitigation strategies are developed.
• Performance Tracking: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure injury rates, environmental impact, and quality metrics, reporting updates directly to executive leadership.
• Budget & Team Management: Direct departmental budgets, allocate resources, and supervise regional personnel or external contractors.
• Partner Interaction: Ensure consistent application of policies, procedures, and standards for safety, environmental compliance, and quality with LAC partners that provide service to Thacker Pass in mining, logistics, product handling, etc.
• Champion a positive culture of safety, environmental stewardship, quality, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Build trusted relationships across all teams and the community while championing a culture that reflects and supports our Purpose, Vision, and Values.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering,  a technical discipline, or equivalent education and experience, with a strong understanding of Operations, Safety, Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Quality Management systems.
• Key Skills: Exceptional communication, problem-solving, and organizational capabilities paired with knowledge of compliance regulations.
• 20+ years of Operations experience, preferably within the chemical processing, mining, minerals, or heavy industrial sectors. Experience leading or overseeing EHS and/or Quality functions is preferred.
• Proven ability to manage operations, safety, environmental, and quality and implement process improvements.
• Strong understanding of transition management from commissioning and startup through continuous operations, including chemical process engineering principles and unit operations.
• Familiarity with large-scale chemical, mineral, or hydrometallurgical processes preferred.
• Experience working in a OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) facility and/or an MSHA-regulated  operation preferred.
• Knowledge of QA/QC principals and experience implementing ISO systems.
• Experience working with customers and implementing corrective action systems and processes.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with ability to collaborate and influence teams.
• Self-starter with a strong commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, quality, and operational excellence.
• Personal commitment to Lithium Americas’ Purpose, Vision, and Values.

Working at Lithium Americas

At Lithium Americas, we believe our people are our most valuable asset. We offer a collaborative and inclusive work environment, with opportunities for long-term growth and skills development.

We are committed to building a diverse and respectful workplace and strongly encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Lithium Americas is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, gender, disability, age, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected status. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.