Manufacturing Manager Electrode Production

About the Role

Lead the manufacturing operations team responsible for producing electrochemical components of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC) cell stacks, including anode, cathode, and matrix. Ensure production output, quality, yield, and cost targets are met across a chemically intensive manufacturing environment that is growing in scale. This role is critical as we scale production capabilities to meet strong data-center demand. Stack production and performance are key drivers of FuelCell Energy’s value proposition and directly impact the overall success of the business. The role offers high levels of autonomy and visibility, reporting directly to the executive team.

Responsibilities

Operations & Production

• Own daily production execution for electrode value streams (anode, cathode, matrix).
• Drive output to schedule commitments tied to stack assembly and customer delivery milestones.
• Manage throughput, OEE, and process yields; identify and eliminate bottlenecks using VSM and lean methods.
• Maintain production floor discipline: 5S, standard work, visual management, and tier accountability meetings (lead tier 2, report in tier 3).

People Leadership

• Directly manage production supervisors, junior managers, and indirectly lead operators, technicians, and support personnel across a 24/7 operation.
• Develop team capability through structured cross-training; define and maintain skills matrices across the team.
• Lead hiring, performance management, and career development for the electrodes group.
• Ensure adequate staffing across all shifts, minimize overtime and unplanned OPEX.
• Lead through example and treat everyone with respect.

Quality & Process Control

• Partner with quality engineering to maintain control plans, in-process inspection criteria, and monitoring systems for critical parameters (porosity, thickness, weight, etc.).
• Own non-conformance investigations and drive reduction in cost of poor quality (COPQ).
• Work with engineering and technology development to drive process risk assessments; own corrective and preventive action (CAPA) closure.

Engineering Collaboration

• Serve as the manufacturing voice in new product introduction (NPI); conduct manufacturing assessments to support NPI and product change reviews affecting electrode department production.
• Coordinate with R&D on process development trials, materials qualification, and scale-up activities on the production floor.
• Support equipment procurement, specification, and commissioning for repeat component manufacturing cells.

EHS & Compliance

• Ensure safe handling of metallic components and cell subassemblies in accordance with OSHA and site EHS standards.
• Enforce PPE compliance and maintain a zero-incident safety culture.

Metrics & Reporting

• Own key performance indicators: throughput rate, first-pass yield, scrap rate, cost per cell, equipment uptime, etc.
• Report weekly performance to senior leadership; drive accountability to targets with your team.

Requirements

• B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 7+ years of manufacturing or process engineering experience, including 3+ years in a supervisory or managerial role.
• Experience with chemical processing, ceramic/powder processing, electrode manufacturing, or similarly specialized manufacturing environments.
• Proficiency with lean manufacturing tools (VSM, Kaizen, 5S, PDCA).
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, process specifications, and control plans.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or MBA.
• Experience with fuel cell component manufacturing (MCFC, PEM, PAFC, or SOFC).
• Familiarity with nickel-based materials, ceramic matrix processing, or molten carbonate systems.
• Experience with PLM/ERP/MES systems and SPC software.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
• Prior experience successfully leading operations teams in a manufacturing environment transitioning from low to high volume production.
• Experience manufacturing components with tight dimensional and chemical tolerances.