About UsWe are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. Our mission is to power the world's transition to clean energy. To create this future, our team is building a better lithium-ion battery from the inside out today. We engineer and manufacture ground-breaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of batteries, while reducing their size and weight. The result? Smaller more powerful batteries that can unlock innovation in consumer devices and accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. We're tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time every day, and together we're redefining what's possible. Are you ready to be a part of a team committed to changing the world?
Who You AreYou are an empowering engineering leader who brings both the customer-facing technical perspective to support OEM partners and the hands-on experience and execution mindset to scale cell prototype designs. Above all, you are a team-builder. You inspire trust, advocate relentlessly for your team with leadership, help them prioritize high-value work, and invest deeply in their day-to-day professional development and career growth.
In this role, you will lead a multi-disciplinary team bridging customer application engineering (helping customers adopt Sila's silicon anode) and cell NPI/scaling (bringing internal prototype designs to high-volume manufacturing via contract manufacturers and internal facilities).
Responsibilities and Duties - Lead & Support a High-Impact Org: Coach and support an engineering team spanning customer applications and cell industrialization. Focus on direct 1-on-1 career development, performance feedback, resource advocacy with leadership, and creating a high-trust, supportive team culture.
- Scale Industrialization & NPI: Lead the design transfer of internal cell prototypes to contract manufacturers and HVM partners, establishing technical requirements, qualification benchmarks, line ramp schedules, and yield targets.
- Guide Customer Adoption & Integration: Support technical application engineers who partner with Commercial teams to enable seamless integration and qualification of Sila's anode materials with OEMs and cell suppliers.
- Bridge Cross-Functional Execution: Serve as the active, day-to-day engineering connection point between R&D, Product Management, Business Development, and Operations.
- Drive Work Prioritization & Workflows: Build clear prioritization mechanisms and technical reviews that maintain momentum on commercial milestones while protecting team bandwidth.
Knowledge and Skill Requirements - People Leadership: 3+ years of direct people management experience leading engineering, science, or technical teams, with a track record of performance management, talent development, and building team trust.
- Lithium-Ion Battery Industry Depth: 6+ years of experience in the lithium-ion battery or cell manufacturing industry spanning cell development, customer application support, sample qualification testing, or design transfer/scaling.
- Manufacturing Qualification: Demonstrated success bringing battery products or cell components through formal qualification processes with OEMs and/or scaling through manufacturing partners.
- Operational Execution: Hands-on experience managing engineering projects, setting team priorities, and driving cross-functional deliverables in hardware, materials, or physical product environments.
- Communication & Collaboration: Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a track record of advocating for team needs and translating cross-functional priorities into actionable engineering goals.
- Education: B.S. or advanced degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Physical Sciences, or a related field.
Physical Demands and Working Conditions- Anticipated travel up to 25% required, both domestic and international
- Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes
- Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location
The starting base pay for this role is between $185,000 and $234,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila's competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
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Working at SilaWe believe that building a diverse team at Sila helps us amplify our individual talents. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating an inclusive environment where good ideas are free to come from anyone. We are proud to celebrate diversity and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.
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