Manager, Materials Engineering

Job Summary

Panasonic Energy is seeking a Manager, Materials Engineering, reporting to the Director of Materials Engineering. This position will lead programs to establish and qualify multiple sources of key battery materials for Panasonic Energy's North American lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing operations. The Manager will oversee the full material-development and introduction lifecycle, including initial technical feasibility assessment, laboratory evaluation of physical and chemical properties, production-scale trials, qualification, and implementation. The role will lead a technical team and coordinate closely with suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders in Engineering, Production, Quality, Procurement, Maintenance, and global development organizations.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of assigned cross-functional programs to develop, qualify, and implement a resilient North American supply chain for key battery materials.
• Establish program scope, milestones, timelines, decision points, resource requirements, risk registers, and technical reporting expectations.
• Direct material evaluation activities from initial technical feasibility assessment through laboratory analysis, production trials, qualification, and mass-production implementation.
• Coordinate effectively with Production, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, global development teams, and supplier-quality organizations to deliver program objectives.
• Ensure appropriate laboratory capabilities, analytical methods, and resources support the safe, accurate, and timely evaluation of material properties required for development and qualification.
• Lead the development, validation, and implementation of new or improved analytical methods, working internally and with suppliers as appropriate.
• Maintain productive technical relationships with prospective and existing suppliers to facilitate qualification and project execution.
• Partner with Engineering, Production, Quality, and Procurement teams to plan, execute, and evaluate production trials.
• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of Panasonic Energy's material-introduction process.
• Provide concise, data-driven updates to senior leadership regarding program status, technical results, risks, decisions, and required actions.
• Identify program risks and escalate technical, schedule, quality, supply, and resource concerns sufficiently early to support effective decision-making.
• Frequent (weekly) communication with teams in Japan regarding development progress, challenges, and paths forward (must be able to work effectively across time-zone differences).
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Recruit, onboard, develop, and retain a technically capable and collaborative team of engineers, supervisors, and other assigned personnel.
• Establish clear responsibilities, priorities, performance expectations, and development plans for the Materials Engineering team.
• Plan and assign work, monitor execution, provide timely coaching and feedback, appraise performance, recognize contributions, and address performance or conduct concerns in accordance with company policies and procedures.
• Develop short-term and mid-term team plans aligned with business objectives and material-development priorities.
• Manage resources within approved plans, including team budget, staffing, equipment, and other resources required to meet approved program objectives.
• Build organizational capability through technical mentoring, leadership development, and appropriate delegation.
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, technical rigor, continuous improvement, and timely execution.

Qualifications

Required Education: Bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or related discipline.

Preferred Education: Master's degree in Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or related discipline is highly desirable. PhD preferred.

Essential Qualifications:

• 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in engineering, materials science, material development, manufacturing, supplier quality, or a related technical field, including at least 3 years of formal people management, supervisory, or substantial technical leadership experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of lithium-ion battery materials, manufacturing processes, or associated supply chains.
• Experience supporting the sourcing, development, qualification, or industrialization of raw materials.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional, geographically distributed, and global teams to execute complex technical programs in a fast-paced environment with evolving business priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to develop people, delegate effectively, provide constructive feedback, and build team capability.
• Strong program and project-management skills, including resource planning, milestone management, risk identification, prioritization, status reporting, and delivery against deadlines.
• Ability to interpret complex technical data, apply strong analytical and problem-solving judgement, and make sound, timely, and well-documented recommendations or decisions.
• Ability to prepare clear technical reports, project timelines, process flows, and presentations tailored to technical, operational, and executive audiences.
• Ability to quickly learn and apply new technical concepts, prioritize competing technical and leadership responsibilities, and deliver results within tight project timelines.
• Ability to drive results while overcoming the challenges associated with collaboration across global teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5+ years of direct people-management experience or technical-leadership experience.
• Experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment, particularly lithium-ion batteries, electronic devices, chemicals, or advanced materials.
• Experience with lithium-ion battery materials and cell-manufacturing processes.
• Experience identifying, developing, qualifying, and industrializing new material suppliers from initial sampling through mass production.
• Experience collaborating directly with domestic and international suppliers and global procurement organizations.
• Working knowledge of Six Sigma, design of experiments, statistical process control, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Proficiency with analytical or statistical tools such as JMP, Minitab, Python, or MATLAB.

Physical Demands

Physical Activities (percentage of time during normal workday):

• Sit: 40%
• Walk: 30%
• Stand: 30%

Required Lifting and Carrying:

• Up to 10 lbs.: Continuous
• Up to 20 lbs.: Occasional
• Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Rare

Benefits & Perks

• Health Benefits – Medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
• Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
• Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
• Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
• Health Management and Wellbeing Programs – Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources.
• Employee Recognition Program – High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition.
• Annual Bonus Program – Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
• On-site Food Options – Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events.
• Free Shuttle – Rides to and from work.

Travel Requirement

Up to 25% travel required.

This response is AI-generated, for reference only.