VP, Foundry Operations

NextGenEnergyJobs; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 234,000 - 308,000; Full time

Job summary

Sila is seeking a VP of Foundry Operations to build and lead battery cell manufacturing from pilot capability to full industrialization and GWh scale. You will own site selection, plant construction, equipment specification, product offerings, and vendor ecosystem development.

Reporting to the COO, you will manage capital projects, drive KPI-based operations, and align with commercial and R&D teams to ensure high yield, safety, and cost-down roadmaps in a fast-paced, pre-IPO environment.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in operational, manufacturing, or engineering leadership.
• 5+ years in director-level role leading teams.
• Proven scale-up from pilot to giga-scale serial production.
• Battery manufacturing experience across process blocks.
• CapEx/OpEx budgets of $100M+ and international supplier ecosystems.
• Cross-functional with commercial and R&D alignment.
• Strong hiring and multisite team building.
• Agile, growth-oriented in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute end-to-end industrialization strategy for battery foundry operations.
• Lead site selection, facility delivery, and infrastructure design for pilot to gigafactory scale.
• Direct equipment specification, line layouts, RFQ/tendering, and commissioning.
• Build and mentor an automotive-quality manufacturing engineering and operations team.
• Collaborate with Product and R&D to translate cell specs into manufacturable designs.
• Align plant capacity roadmaps with market demand and customer commitments.
• Engage with executive leadership and Board on CapEx/OpEx and risk mitigations.
• Implement KPI-driven operations, SPC, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Executive leadership

Scale-up experience

Battery manufacturing

Capex management

Cross-functional

Agile mindset

Education

Engineering degree

PhD preferred

Job description

The starting base pay for this role is between $234,000 and $308,000 at the time of posting.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Industrialization Strategy: Define and execute Sila's Foundry Operations strategy to take battery cell manufacturing from pilot phase through multi GWh scale production. Determine the right path to market, evaluate multiple options on manufacturing models, and downselect to the optimum path forward.
• Site Selection & Facility Delivery: Lead site evaluation, scoping, clean/dry room design, equipment selection, and capability design. Support and influence infrastructure (utilities, solvent/water recovery, dry rooms, hazardous material handling), and construction for both initial pilot facilities and future GWh scale gigafactories.
• Equipment & Process Engineering: Direct equipment specification, line layouts, RFQ/tendering, vendor down selection, design reviews, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and operational handover across electrode, assembly, formation, aging, and testing blocks.
• Team Building & Leadership: Recruit, structure, and mentor an automotive quality manufacturing engineering and operations organization, establishing leadership across process engineering, equipment, facilities, quality, automation, and plant operations.
• Cross Functional Product Integration: Partner closely with Product and R&D teams to translate cell specifications, form factors, and safety targets into design for manufacturability (DFM) requirements and scalable production processes.
• Commercial & Market Alignment: Collaborate with Commercial leadership to align plant capacity roadmaps, cell specifications, and manufacturing milestones with market demand and customer commitments.
• Executive & Board Engagement: Serve as the core operational voice to executive leadership and the Board on CapEx/OpEx allocation, site readiness, cost down roadmaps, risk mitigations, and execution timing.
• Operational Excellence & Quality Systems: Implement robust KPI driven operating systems, quality gated release processes, statistical process controls (SPC), and continuous improvement frameworks to optimize OEE, yield, cost per kWh, and safety.

Requirements

• Sila's Vice President of Foundry Operations will build and lead Sila's Battery Foundry Operations from the ground up, driving our physical manufacturing presence from pilot capability to full industrialization and GWh scale production. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), 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.
• This role operates alongside our Battery R&D team and our RD&E team. While R&D teams focus on early stage material testing and chemistry development, the VP of Foundry Operations is responsible for translating proven technology into commercial, high yield, bankable cell manufacturing operations.
• The ideal candidate brings a rare combination of a proven ability to scale operations, teams, and operating systems from zero to serial production with equipment and engineering expertise. You are a business first, driven leader with high intellectual curiosity, comfortable moving fluidly between high level executive strategy and hands on operational execution.
• Executive Leadership Experience: 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.
• ScaleUp Track Record: Proven experience taking complex hardware or battery cell production from early pilot lines to giga scale, serial production.
• Preference for Battery Manufacturing Expertise: 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 Capital Project Management: Supporting or ownership of large scale capital programs ($100M+ CapEx/OpEx budget oversight) and direct experience managing international equipment supplier ecosystems (U.S., European, and Asian OEMs).
• Cross Functional & Commercial Acumen: Demonstrated success partnering with commercial leadership to understand market requirements and product/R&D teams to optimize cell designs for high rate production.
• Organizational Development: Exceptional track record of hiring, building, and retaining multisite engineering and operational teams from early stages to scaled organizations.
• Agile & Growth Mindset: Operational experience in fast paced, high growth, or pre IPO technology/manufacturing environments.
• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering (Materials Science, Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical) or related technical field; Ph.D. or advanced degree preferred.