Supply Chain Director

Job description

About the role The Supply Chain Director takes end-to-end ownership of overall supply chain planning, procurement sourcing, supplier portfolio management, production logistics, cost control, supply risk governance and localization strategy for the Changzhou gigawatt-level manufacturing base, covering core cell raw materials, auxiliary production materials, spare parts and cross-border material coordination. You will build a stable, replicable full-stack supply chain management system matching the company’s multi-site capacity expansion roadmap, covering raw material localization, mass production delivery guarantee, group-wide cost reduction, cross-department quality alignment and global supply chain compliance. You will collaborate closely with R&D, Process, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Finance and EHS teams to eliminate supply bottlenecks and formulate scalable supply chain operation standards for multiple production bases. This role requires comprehensive leadership experience covering the whole energy storage supply chain, capable of independent global strategic negotiation, cross-functional program delivery and team management, with fluent oral and written English for cross-regional communication with headquarters and overseas vendors. What you'll do 1. Supply Chain Strategic Layout & Group Supplier System Construction Develop medium and long-term integrated supply chain strategies aligned with plant capacity expansion targets, covering core cell materials (cathode, anode, electrolyte, nickel foam substrate, separators, electroplating chemicals, additives), auxiliary materials, spare parts, logistics and inventory planning. Build a tiered supplier matrix with dual/multi-sourcing mechanism to mitigate risks of supply interruption, price surge and policy restrictions. Formulate full-process standardized SOPs for the whole supply chain, including supplier entry audit, on-site comprehensive assessment, regular performance review and supplier elimination mechanism, fully compliant with IATF16949, ISO9001 and factory EHS management regulations. Establish a full-dimensional supply chain KPI system including overall material cost reduction rate, plant on-time delivery rate, incoming defect rate, localization penetration rate, inventory turnover days, logistics cost ratio and supply disruption downtime. Drive continuous operational optimization via systematic cross-functional improvement initiatives. 2. Full-Cycle Raw Material Sourcing, Qualification & Technical Alignment Lead the full lifecycle development and mass validation of all Ni-MH energy storage raw materials: global supplier scouting, lab sampling, pilot trial verification, mass production ramp-up and long-term batch stability tracking. Oversee the whole sourcing team to implement material development schedules. Cooperate with R&D, Process and Quality teams to complete reliability testing and long-cycle stability verification for new materials; organize cross-regional on-site technical audits for key suppliers, push continuous iteration of material formulas and performance indicators to meet ultra-long-life and high-safety requirements of grid storage products. Champion company-wide raw material localization programs, benchmark technical performance, delivery cycle and total cost between imported and domestic materials, accelerate mass onboarding of qualified local core suppliers to lower reliance on overseas cross-border supply. Establish closed-loop quality resolution mechanisms for common incoming non-conformities such as internal resistance deviation, uneven coating and electrolyte instability; launch joint technical optimization projects with strategic suppliers to achieve sustainable long-term quality upgrade. 3. Comprehensive Cost Governance, Commercial Negotiation & Tender Management Lead regular industry market research and long-term price trend analysis for battery upstream raw materials; oversee annual/quarterly global commercial negotiations, multi-year volume framework contracts and centralized bulk procurement to realize continuous overall supply chain cost reduction. Take charge of quotation review, full cost breakdown, formal bidding administration, framework agreement signing and global payment term negotiation; control the annual group supply chain budget strictly to hit cost targets during fast capacity ramp-up stages. Build a unified raw material price monitoring database, track price volatility of upstream mineral and chemical feedstocks, formulate proactive cost hedging and risk aversion plans to offset inflation and raw material price fluctuation risks. 4. Capacity Lock-In, Delivery Control & Global Supply Risk Management Secure annual guaranteed production capacity with tier-1 material suppliers based on phased plant ramp-up plans; compile monthly and quarterly overall delivery master schedules, track upstream production, domestic inbound logistics and cross-border customs clearance status to eliminate line-down risks caused by material shortage. Identify multi-layered critical supply risks including single-source dependency, national environmental production limits, supplier capacity insufficiency and cross-border logistics barriers; develop systematic contingency solutions including secondary supplier development, multi-region safety stock layout and alternative material substitution plans. Coordinate full procedures of customs clearance, international freight and cross-border logistics for imported raw materials; align with global headquarters on cross-border procurement reconciliation, payment settlement and cross-continental delivery coordination. 5. NPI Full Support & Cross-Functional Collaboration Participate in the complete New Product Introduction (NPI) lifecycle, engage in material selection at the early R&D design stage, deploy supplier development resources in advance to shorten the industrialization lead time of new energy storage products. Collaborate with Process and Engineering teams to complete full qualification and stable mass supply of new materials for production line renovation and capacity expansion projects, ensuring on-time and smooth gigawatt-scale production ramp-up. Partner with Finance department on group-wide procurement reconciliation, payment arrangement and accurate full-chain cost accounting; cooperate with EHS team to conduct qualification audits of hazardous chemical suppliers and guarantee full compliance for heavy metal and chemical raw material procurement. 6. Full-Lifecycle Supplier Governance & Continuous Improvement Projects Lead monthly and quarterly comprehensive supplier performance evaluation covering five dimensions: Quality, Delivery, Cost, Service and EHS; issue formal performance assessment reports and force underperforming vendors to implement corrective and preventive actions. Establish long-term strategic partnership and joint R&D mechanisms with top-tier core suppliers. Organize annual full-scope on-site audits for key suppliers to inspect production capacity, internal quality control systems, environmental safety standards and equipment operation status; drive standardized and intelligent production line transformation across the whole supplier ecosystem. Launch special continuous improvement projects focusing on group-wide cost reduction and production yield enhancement, promote production process optimization and waste reduction at supplier side, and replicate proven successful optimization solutions across all material categories and manufacturing sites. 7. Supply Chain Team Leadership & Global Stakeholder Communication Recruit, manage and develop the end-to-end supply chain team (sourcing, procurement, planning, logistics & warehouse), allocate cross-material and cross-project tasks, track milestone delivery, and build a unified group supplier database and centralized material technical specification library. Resolve complex issues regarding material matching, batch quality and delivery delay via regular cross-department alignment meetings with Manufacturing, R&D, Quality, Finance and Engineering teams; conduct technical and commercial communication with domestic & overseas raw material manufacturers and third-party testing institutions. Compile bilingual supply chain strategy, budget and performance reports, host global online/offline strategic meetings with corporate headquarters; independently draft all English business correspondence, cross-border commercial contracts and compliance documents. Qualifications Education Bachelor’s degree or above; majors in Materials Science, Supply Chain Management, Industrial Engineering, New Energy and other related fields are preferred. Mandatory Professional Experience Minimum 8 years comprehensive end-to-end supply chain leadership experience for energy storage or power battery industry, covering raw material sourcing, global supplier development, production planning, logistics management and full-lifecycle vendor governance. Candidates with Ni-MH, aqueous or flow battery supply chain management experience are highly preferred. Proven track record of independently delivering full-cycle large-scale supply chain strategic projects including global supplier scouting, system qualification, multi-year commercial negotiation and mass raw material localization substitution, with measurable successful cases in company-wide cost reduction and stable global supply guarantee. In-depth mastery of the entire energy storage cell raw material industrial chain, mainstream domestic and international manufacturers, pricing mechanisms and core production & performance indicators; capable of professional interpretation of material test reports and independent technical alignment with internal R&D teams. Familiar with supplier entry audit and second-party audit standards, with solid understanding of IATF16949, ISO9001 quality management systems and EHS compliance requirements for hazardous chemicals and heavy metal materials. Leadership & Project Management Experience Rich experience managing multiple parallel large-scale material development, localization and capacity ramp-up projects; capable of simultaneously controlling cross-program timeline, annual budget and multi-dimensional technical & supply risks. Mature high-level supplier relationship management capability, with established extensive industrial resource network covering global cell raw material manufacturers, chemical suppliers and logistics service providers. Language & Location Requirement Fluent oral English for daily global strategic, technical and commercial communication, capable of independently hosting online/offline cross-border meetings with overseas headquarters and international vendors; proficient in written English for global reports, business emails and formal contract drafting. Professional Mandarin for internal team management, domestic supplier negotiation and Chinese technical document compilation. Must be permanently based in Changzhou, Jiangsu, or willing to relocate long-term to the Changzhou manufacturing base. Preferred Qualifications Direct end-to-end supply chain management experience for Ni-MH metal-hydrogen energy storage factories, with successful gigawatt-scale production capacity matching and localization implementation cases. Working experience in foam nickel substrate, alkaline electrochemistry chemicals and metal-hydrogen battery raw material industrialization management. Extensive mature industry resource network covering domestic cathode, anode, electrolyte and special substrate core suppliers. Lead experience of group-wide large-scale raw material localization projects with remarkable overall cost-down achievements. Familiar with cross-border import procurement, customs clearance, international trade compliance and raw material price hedging management. Possession of Six Sigma, APICS, CPSM or other authoritative supply chain management certifications is a plus. About EnerVenue, Inc. Named one of the world’s Top Greentech Companies by TIME in 2024 and 2025, EnerVenue builds simple, safer, and flexible energy storage solutions for the clean energy revolution. Based on technology proven over decades under the most extreme conditions, EnerVenue offers a differentiated stationary storage solution that improves upon today’s alternatives. Commercialized from research completed at Stanford University and backed by well-funded investors, EnerVenue is redefining the stationary storage market.