Senior Programme Manager

Rimac Automobili; Witney; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

8 public holidays

5 days of marriage leave

10 days paid sick leave

4 months paid maternity leave

2 weeks of paternity leave

Company pension scheme

AXA & Medicash private medical for you

Service awards

Remote working day by agreement

Pet-friendly workplace

Relaxation zones and daily fruit

Job summary

Rimac Energy in Witney, Oxfordshire, is creating a new OEM product line and seeks a senior Programme Manager to own end-to-end delivery from concept to the first production units over a roughly two-year horizon.

You will lead partner identification, negotiate with module suppliers, contract manufacturers and EMS partners, and coordinate cross-functional design and certification efforts while shaping a new business unit and traveling internationally.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in programme or NPI leadership in energy storage or similar electro-mechanical hardware.
• Led supplier identification and selection from RFI through to award.
• Experience negotiating substantial supply or manufacturing agreements.
• Experience with contract manufacturers, EMS partners or outsourced manufacturing.
• Strong commercial and cost literacy, including tooling, NRE and pricing.

Responsibilities

• Own the programme end-to-end from product definition to first production units over ~2 years.
• Lead partner identification and selection across battery modules, CM and EMS.
• Negotiate contracts with module suppliers, CM and EMS partners.
• Coordinate product integration across mechanical, electrical, thermal, safety and serviceability.
• Own the certification roadmap for the integrated product (UL, IEC, NFPA, CE/UKCA).
• Drive industrialisation: design transfer, prototypes, validation and ramp readiness.
• Build business case, governance and executive reporting; hire and shape the initial team.

Skills

Programme leadership

Supplier selection

Contract negotiation

Managing outsourced manufacturing

Job description

Rimac Energy develops the future of power conversion and battery management, extracting the maximum performance potential of battery energy storage systems. We engineer the hardware, software, and intelligence that improve efficiency, usable energy, and lifetime.

Our edge is deep integration - power conversion built into the battery module itself, with batteries, power electronics, software, and thermal management engineered as one system, European-designed and built. We are fast-moving, technically ambitious, and results-driven, and you will work on genuinely complex problems alongside people who care deeply about what they build.

We expect a lot, and we offer a lot: real ownership, real products, and the chance to contribute to technology that pushes the boundaries of what energy systems can do.

About the Role

We are creating a new OEM product line from a blank sheet, built around proven technology we already own - and we are hiring one person to build it: the delivery model, the partner ecosystem and the product launch itself. Day one, it is a strategic programme reporting to the Head of Programme Management & Supply Chain. The intent is that it becomes a business unit, and the person who builds it is positioned to lead it.

We have developed our own utility-scale power conversion system (PCS). It is our core IP, in design validation now, with full product certification expected within six to eight months. That technology is already commercial: it sits under a signed supply agreement with an established global energy storage player, with the first order and payment received and start of production targeted for 2027. We also own the battery management system and its associated software.

What we are building now is a complete battery energy storage system, designed around our own PCS and sold under our own name, delivered through an asset-light operating model: battery modules from a tier-one module partner under a long-term supply agreement; manufacturing through a contract manufacturer - we free-issue our PCS, modules ship direct from the partner, and the CM owns the balance-of-system supply chain (enclosure, HVAC, fire suppression, ancillaries) plus integration and end-of-line test; and an energy management system from a partner open to integrating our in-house algorithms and software.

Today there are no partners signed. A part-time team holds a starting-point product specification and initial market canvassing is complete - we are effectively pre-RFI.

The decisions made in this role will shape the company's product portfolio and lay the foundation of a scalable OEM business.

This role is based at our Witney, Oxfordshire site, with hybrid working by agreement and regular international travel.

Responsibilities

• Own the programme end to end, from product definition through to the first production units, on roughly a two-year horizon
• Lead partner identification and selection across battery modules, contract manufacturing and EMS - market scanning, RFI, RFQ, technical and commercial evaluation, supplier audits and down-selection
• Lead contract negotiation, working with legal and finance - module supply agreements (pricing and raw-material indexation, capacity reservation, warranties and performance guarantees), the CM manufacturing services agreement (NRE and tooling, quality agreement, liability and logistics) and the EMS partnership
• Coordinate product integration across mechanical, electrical, thermal, safety, controls and serviceability, and establish change control across design authority, module partner, EMS partner and CM
• Own the certification roadmap for the integrated product (for example UL 9540 and 9540A, UL 1741 SB / IEEE 1547, IEC 62619 and 62933, NFPA 855, CE/UKCA, as target markets dictate), building on the PCS's own certifications
• Drive industrialisation - design transfer, prototype and pilot builds, process validation, PPAP-style qualification, ramp readiness and first deployments
• Build the business case, governance and executive reporting, and hire and shape the initial team as the programme matures into a business unit

Requirements

• 10+ years of programme or NPI leadership in energy storage, power electronics, automotive/EV or comparable complex electro-mechanical hardware
• At least one physical product taken from concept to start of production, including significant supplier-manufactured content
• Personally led supplier selection from RFI through to award, and negotiated substantial supply or manufacturing agreements
• Experience working with or at contract manufacturers, or managing outsourced manufacturing
• Strong commercial and cost literacy - should-cost, total cost of ownership, tooling and NRE, pricing mechanisms
• Product certification or homologation exposure, and the design-freeze discipline it demands
• The ability to thrive in ambiguity - building structure, governance and teams from nothing, while staying credible in front of executives and partners
• Willingness to travel internationally approx. 30–40% of the time, including to supplier sites in Europe and Asia

Considered as an Advantage

• BESS or stationary storage domain knowledge - modules and packs, thermal management, fire safety, UL 9540/9540A, NFPA 855, IEC 62619/62933, grid interconnection standards
• Battery supply market fluency - the LFP landscape, raw-material indexation, capacity dynamics and supplier bankability
• Trade and regulatory awareness relevant to target markets - tariffs, IRA §45X, FEOC screeningStart-up or scale-up experience; an advanced degree in systems engineering or business
• Additional languages relevant to a global supply base

What we are like and what we offer

• Fast-paced environment where practical problem-solving and initiative are genuinely valued
• Continuous learning and development, with exposure to rapidly evolving energy and power electronics technology
• A friendly, ambitious team that works hard and takes pride in what it builds
• Educational budget – at Rimac Energy, we believe in the importance of continuous learning. We provide an educational budget to support your growth, and we actively encourage you to expand your knowledge and skills.
• 26 days of annual leave plus 8 public holidays
• 5 days of paid marriage leave
• 10 days of fully paid sick leave
• 4 months of paid maternity leave and 2 weeks of paternity leave
• Company pension scheme with auto-enrolment
• AXA & Medicash private medical insurance for you and your immediate family
• Service awards to recognise loyalty
• Remote working day by agreement
• Pet-friendly workplace – our Pawject Managers are always welcome
• Relaxation zones and daily fresh fruit in the office