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Salary: USD 234,000 - 308,000 / annual
Sila Nanotechnologies is a next-generation battery materials company on a mission to power the world's transition to clean energy. They engineer and manufacture breakthrough battery materials that significantly increase energy density while reducing size and weight, enabling smaller, more powerful batteries for consumer devices and electric vehicles.
The VP of Foundry Operations will build and lead Sila's Battery Foundry Operations from the ground up, driving the company's physical manufacturing presence from pilot capability to full industrialization and GWh-scale production. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this executive will own the backbone of Sila's cell manufacturing strategy, spanning site selection, plant construction, equipment specification, product offerings, vendor ecosystem development, line commissioning, new product introduction, and production scaling.
Key responsibilities include:
- Define and execute the Foundry Operations strategy to scale battery cell manufacturing from pilot phase through multi-GWh production, evaluating manufacturing models and determining the optimal path to market
- Lead site evaluation, facility design (clean/dry rooms), equipment selection, and capability design for pilot facilities and future gigafactories
- Direct equipment specification, line layouts, vendor selection, design reviews, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and operational handover across electrode, assembly, formation, aging, and testing blocks
- Recruit, structure, and mentor an automotive-quality manufacturing engineering and operations organization with leadership across process engineering, equipment, facilities, quality, automation, and plant operations
- Partner with Product and R&D teams to translate cell specifications and safety targets into design-for-manufacturability requirements and scalable production processes
- Collaborate with Commercial leadership to align plant capacity roadmaps, cell specifications, and manufacturing milestones with market demand and customer commitments
- Serve as the core operational voice to executive leadership and the Board on CapEx/OpEx allocation, site readiness, cost-down roadmaps, risk mitigation, and execution timing
- Implement robust KPI-driven operating systems, quality gated release processes, statistical process controls, and continuous improvement frameworks to optimize OEE, yield, cost per kWh, and safety
Requirements:
- Minimum 15+ years of leadership in operational, manufacturing, or engineering functions, with at least 5+ years in a Director role or higher leading operational teams
- Proven experience taking complex hardware or battery cell production from early pilot lines to giga-scale serial production
- Preferred: hands-on experience across battery cell manufacturing process blocks, including dry/clean room environments, electrode processing, cell assembly, electrolyte filling, formation, aging, and validation testing
- Experience with large-scale capital project management ($100M+ CapEx/OpEx budget oversight) and direct experience managing international equipment supplier ecosystems (U.S., European, and Asian OEMs)
- Demonstrated success partnering with commercial leadership to understand market requirements and optimizing cell designs for high-rate production
- Exceptional track record of hiring, building, and retaining multisite engineering and operational teams from early stages to scaled organizations
- Operational experience in fast-paced, high-growth, or pre-IPO technology/manufacturing environments
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering (Materials Science, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical) or related technical field; Ph.D. or advanced degree preferred
