Serial Productions Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Role Summary:

This role provides end-to-end operational leadership for scaling battery pack manufacturing from prototype through high-volume serial production, ensuring excellence in safety, quality, cost, and efficiency. The position builds and leads a high-performing manufacturing organization, establishes robust KPIs, and drives a culture of continuous improvement through lean manufacturing and operational excellence initiatives. Partnering cross-functionally with engineering, product development, finance, and EHS, the role ensures seamless process integration, cost reduction, and achievement of Annual Operating Plan objectives. The leader will also manage budgets, deploy advanced operational technologies, and collaborate with executive leadership to support long-term strategic growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Operational Leadership: Oversee the ramp-up and ongoing operations of battery pack manufacturing, transitioning from prototype to high-volume serial production while maintaining safety, quality, and efficiency standards.
• Team Development: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team, including managers, supervisors, technicians, and operators, fostering a culture of operational excellence and accountability.
• Performance Metrics: Develop and implement manufacturing KPIs to track safety, people, costs, performance, efficiency, and sustainability, ensuring alignment with plant-wide strategic objectives.
• Technology Integration: Support the deployment of active management tools (e.g., SCADA) to enhance operational control, real-time decision-making, and quality assurance.
• Operational Excellence: Establish a cadence for weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews, driving continuous improvement through operational excellence initiatives and achieving Annual Operating Plan (AOP) milestones.
• Budget Management: Develop and maintain the operational budget, achieving conversation cost targets through cost-saving measures, kaizen events, and lean manufacturing principles.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with departments such as product development, planning, finance, manufacturing engineering, safety (EHS), and operations engineering to ensure seamless integration of manufacturing processes.
• Process Optimization: Utilize technical expertise to drive process and product improvements, addressing quality concerns, enhancing manufacturability, and improving customer satisfaction.
• Cost Reduction: Apply lean manufacturing principles to reduce scrap, optimize resource utilization, and achieve significant year-over-year cost reductions (e.g., 20% operational expense reduction, 80% reduction in scrap per vehicle).
• Strategic Planning: Collaborate with executive leadership to develop the plant/department AOP, aligning with strategic plans and cascading continuous improvement projects throughout the organization.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree Engineering, and ideally an MBA
• 10+ years of experience in construction management, with at least 5 years of experience on large, complex projects.
• Experience working with brownfield or greenfield sites is a plus.
• Knowledge of Automotive Regulations, EV Batteries or Energy or Complex Site Construction is a plus.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to develop and implement project plans, track progress, and manage budgets.
• Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $190,000.00 - $238,000.00 + 20% bonus + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.