Senior Manager, Manufacturing Engineering

Job description

Are you ready to build America’s energy future? Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company. We’re revolutionizing energy storage with cost-effective, multi-day technology designed to keep the electric grid secure and reliable, even during extended periods of stress. By strengthening the electric system and reimagining what’s possible, we’re giving clean energy a whole new form! In recent years, Form Energy has earned a number of accolades, including being named by TIME as a “Best Invention”, MIT Technology Review as a “Top Climate Tech Company To Watch”, and Fast Company as “One of the Next Big Things In Tech”. We are making rapid progress on our mission of delivering energy storage for a better world, and our team is growing just as rapidly to meet demand. We have signed contracts with leading electric utilities across the United States and production of our iron-air batteries is underway at our first high-volume manufacturing facility in West Virginia. Working for Form Energy is more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something extraordinary. And now - right as we significantly scale up battery manufacturing - might be the most exciting moment in the company’s history to join. We are assembling a team of highly talented and driven individuals across the country. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, our team is determined to deliver on our mission and transform the energy landscape for the better. Feeling energized to make a meaningful impact on the world? Then keep reading - you’ve come to the right place. ROLE DESCRIPTION As the Senior Manager of Assembly Manufacturing Engineering, you will serve as the primary architect of the production lifecycle, bridging the gap between research prototypes and high-volume factory operations. You will lead a multidisciplinary team of engineers to develop and internalize robust manufacturing processes for both battery enclosures and module/pack assembly—including robotic joining, sealing, electrolyte filling, and leak testing. By owning the full equipment lifecycle, from defining detailed user requirements through to factory testing and final site commissioning, you ensure that production lines are world-class, delivering a "machine that builds the machine" with precision and technical rigor. Strategically, your objective is to drive operational scale by ensuring products are designed specifically for ease of manufacturing and assembly during the earliest development phases. You will champion a data-driven culture that utilizes failure mode analysis and advanced root-cause investigation to reduce production risks and achieve aggressive targets for quality, output rate, and equipment uptime. By fostering collaboration between Product Design, Quality, and Supply Chain, you will manage the critical transition from initial design to full-scale production, ensuring that every process is statistically validated to guarantee long-term reliability and cost-effectiveness. What you'll do: - Lead the development and optimization of battery manufacturing processes for battery assembly manufacturing. - Ensure highly capable processes are identified and demonstrated for our production facilities ahead of detailed equipment design. - Oversee the design and implementation of manufacturing processes such as: manual and robotic assembly, joining, sealing, system leak testing, and quality checks to achieve optimal performance and reliability. - Collaborate with product design team, R&D, quality, and supply chain, to translate product requirements into a battery design and manufacturing process that achieve our company targets. - Collaborate cross functionally to develop and maintain PFMEA, process specifications, measurement systems GR&R, control plan, and quality inspection methods (incoming, outgoing, and in-process). - Lead troubleshooting efforts to identify root causes of manufacturing issues and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. - Internalize responsibility for delivery of equipment and processes that enable the operations team to achieve factory production metrics (quality, yield, rate, and availability). - Identify trends/correlations, and make data-driven decisions for process optimization. WHAT YOU'LL BRING: - Hands-on experience in a high-volume manufacturing organization. - Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering. - 10 years of experience in engineering roles within battery manufacturing or a related industry, with expertise in complex assembly processes. 4+ leading technical teams. - Demonstrated experience in manufacturing equipment procurement, setup, and commissioning, including a clear understanding of equipment qualification and validation protocols. - Strong understanding of lean manufacturing principles and their application in a high-volume production environment. - Proven track record of successfully leading cross-functional teams in the development and optimization of manufacturing processes for electrochemical systems. - Proficiency in process engineering principles, statistical analysis, and quality management systems for process optimization and improvement. - Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and convey technical concepts to diverse stakeholders. - Leadership and mentoring abilities with a commitment to fostering a culture of continuous learning and accelerated innovation through quick iteration. - Experience working in a fast-paced startup environment is a plus. This opportunity is based out of Form Factory 1 – Form Energy’s 550,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility located in Weirton, WV, a commutable distance from Pittsburgh. Purpose-built for high-volume, advanced battery production, Form Factory 1 is a hub of fast-moving, collaborative work driving a new era of large-scale American energy manufacturing in the heart of the Rust Belt. Relocation assistance is available. #LI-Onsite #LI-DL1 Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy’s culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here. When it comes to you and your family’s health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed. To build America’s energy future, we need everyone at the table. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply to our open jobs. If you may require reasonable accommodations to participate in our interview process, please contact accommodations@formenergy.com. Requests for accommodations will be treated with discretion. Form Energy is committed to maintaining the privacy of our applicants. Please be aware that we will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.