Sr. Manager of Process Engineering

About Us

We 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 Are

You will lead a team of Engineers that create process improvements and design specifications, the design and creation of chemical reaction equipment, tools, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for the manufacturing of advanced engineered materials that will set the new standard of innovation for the next generation batteries.

You like challenges, you take pride in your work, you are a detailed technical leader that can manage numerous projects simultaneously, while delivering results on-time, to meet or exceed goals and expectations.

You’re passionate and knowledgeable about: clean energy, advanced materials, particulates, batteries, or related fields, sciences, and technologies.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Leadership of a team that is responsible for the design and scale-up of chemical reaction equipment, tools, and improved processes.
• Provide clear direction for process design, chemical reaction engineering, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). 
• Artfully balance competing resources and cross-functional objectives in a fast-paced and matrixed environment. 
• Lead techno-economic evaluation of capital and operating expenses for designed equipment. 
• Complete process simplification and value engineering objectives while maximizing yield, quality, and throughput.
• Define and manage trade-offs between in-house development versus acceleration via vendors, tollers, and EPCs.
• Work closely with the Process Development team to establish baseline performance metrics and identify the key levers to drive optimal process reliability, quality and uptime.
• Hire, coach, and support talent through consistent feedback, navigation of challenges, and celebration of wins

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• BS/MS/PhD in Chemical Engineering, Materials, Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 10+ years of relevant technology experience; 5+ years of demonstrated technical team leadership experience
• Proficient in process design, improvements and simulation, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), techno-economic modeling, and experimental design (DOE).
• Expert level knowledge within particle technology, particulate handling, and safety. 
• Knowledgeable, curious, and humble while being an incisive and clear communicator.  
• Easy rapport, genuine empathy, and durable composure.
• Tech-Savvy: able to move quickly between different physical tools, databases, data processing software and operating systems to effectively generate and share insights
• Collaboratively solves problems and sets others up for success

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Remain in a stationary position to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a laptop, copier/printer machine, etc.
• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection.
• Repetitive use of hands - light to forceful handling of material.
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes.
• Precise and repetitive handling of a range of material quantities. 

Working at Sila

We 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.