Field notes

Notes on staffing the buildout. Who builds a first commercial plant, where the people come from, and what it costs to hire them. Written between searches, not for traffic.


go-live

01Buildout2026.07.20

Who staffs a first commercial plant

The team a first-of-a-kind plant needs, and why it has to be hired in parallel rather than one seat at a time.

In preparation
UTILITY DEVELOPER

02Talent2026.07.07

The utility-to-developer exodus

Where developers actually find plant leadership: the regulated utilities that trained it, on someone else's payroll.

In preparation
EPC firmsoil & gassemiconductor fabsthe majors

03Talent2026.06.23

Where FOAK companies find people

First-of-a-kind hardware has no talent pool of its own. So which industries does it quietly hire from?

In preparation
controlscommissioningplant mgrdev lead scarce

04Data2026.06.09

Comp in the buildout, 2026

What first-plant teams actually cost, by role and region, and why the scarcest seats do not track seniority.

In preparation