Senior Director of Manufacturing

Role: Senior Director of Manufacturing
Location: Burlingame, CA (with significant time at Sacramento, CA manufacturing facility)
Department: Manufacturing
Reports To: VP of Manufacturing
Position Type: Full-time

About the Role

The Senior Director of Manufacturing owns the end-to-end manufacturing strategy and execution for sodium-ion battery systems as the company scales from pilot to giga-scale commercial production. This role leads manufacturing engineering, operations, process development, facilities, equipment, yield, and ramp readiness across the full BESS stack at both Burlingame and Sacramento facilities.

As commercial deliveries begin and multi-year supply contracts expand, the production system built over the next eighteen months will define cost structure, ramp velocity, and the ability to meet grid-scale demand through 2027 and beyond.

You will partner closely with engineering, supply chain, and commercial teams to bring product to market and stand up a scalable production system, with autonomy to build and evolve the manufacturing organization.

What You'll Do

• Lead manufacturing engineering and process development through ramp from pilot to giga-scale production
• Define and execute production ramp plans including equipment specification, line layout, yield curves, and cost-down roadmap
• Build and develop leadership across process engineering, equipment, quality, automation, and facilities
• Drive design-for-manufacturing integration into the product roadmap
• Own manufacturing KPIs: throughput, yield, OEE, cost per kWh, and safety
• Drive process maturity into stable, repeatable, audit-ready production
• Manage relationships with equipment OEMs, automation partners, and suppliers
• Represent manufacturing in executive, board, and customer forums

Qualifications

• 10+ years in battery, semiconductor, or high-volume precision manufacturing with progressive leadership scope
• Experience scaling from pilot to GWh-level or equivalent production
• Leadership of 50+ person manufacturing engineering organizations
• Fluency with lean manufacturing, SPC, FMEA, Six Sigma, and modern factory systems
• Experience in early-commercialization environments
• BS or MS in Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Strong commercial understanding of cost per kWh drivers
• Comfort operating in growth-stage environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Commercial-scale lithium-ion or sodium-ion manufacturing experience
• Experience transitioning from prototype to commercial production
• Familiarity with energy storage system integration and grid-connected operation
• Comfort using modern AI tools in daily workflow

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $233,000–$275,000, depending on location, experience, and skills.

• Flexible time off
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) plan
• Equity opportunities
• Additional work perks