VP of IT

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 Form Energy is scaling quickly across research, engineering, and manufacturing, and maturing the operating and control discipline that comes with rapid growth. The Vice President of Information Technology is the company’s senior-most IT leader — owning enterprise IT strategy and execution across infrastructure, enterprise platforms, cybersecurity, and IT governance, risk, and compliance for a company scaling from startup into a mature, compliance-intensive operating environment. You will lead a distributed organization across four U.S. sites through three directors — IT Engineering & Platforms, IT Operations, and Cybersecurity & GRC — building a lean, metrics-driven, audit-ready IT function that delivers excellent service to a demanding R&D, lab, and high-growth manufacturing user base. This role reports to the Chief Digital Officer. This is a hybrid role, which will require working onsite from our office in Somerville, MA 3+ days per week. Relocation assistance is available. WHAT YOU'LL DO: - Set and execute the enterprise IT strategy and multi-year roadmap — aligning infrastructure, enterprise platforms, cybersecurity, and IT GRC to the company’s growth across research, engineering, and manufacturing. - Lead and develop the IT organization through three directors — IT Engineering & Platforms, IT Operations, and Cybersecurity & GRC — including responsibility for hiring the director-level leaders and shaping the teams beneath them. - Build a lean, excellence-over-headcount IT organization — delivering reliability and service at scale with a disciplined team rather than growth-by-hiring. - Serve as the executive owner of the IT controls environment as the company matures — accountable for IT general controls (access, change, operations) to SOX standards, and for a control framework synergistic across SOX ITGC, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and NIST 800-171 / CMMC as the business requires. - Sponsor the relationship with external auditors and readiness advisors, driving audit readiness and remediation to closure through the Cybersecurity & GRC organization. - Own the enterprise cybersecurity program at the executive level — detection and response, identity and access, vulnerability management, and incident response — and the cyber incident-disclosure and materiality-determination governance in partnership with Legal, Finance, and executive leadership. - Scale IT for high-growth manufacturing — ensuring infrastructure, networks, endpoints, and enterprise systems keep pace with new capacity, multi-shift operations, and site build-outs, and partnering with manufacturing controls teams on the secure IT/OT boundary (without owning operational technology). - Direct the enterprise platform and integration portfolio (collaboration tools, business applications, integration, and automation) and the enablement of enterprise business systems (ERP, PLM, MES) through integration and automation. - Build the infrastructure and application foundations that enable AI across the company, and drive AI-powered automation of IT’s own functions and services — leading AI adoption by example within the IT organization. Champion AI as a force multiplier for a lean team, and stand ready to support broader enterprise enablement as the company’s AI operating model matures. - Own the IT operating and capital budget, major vendor and platform strategy, and licensing — making pragmatic build/buy and consolidation decisions that balance capability, risk, and cost. - Provide clear, decision-ready, executive- and board-quality reporting on IT strategy, control coverage, cybersecurity posture, and operational health. WHAT YOU'LL BRING: - 15+ years in IT with progressive leadership, including senior leadership (VP-level or equivalent) of a multi-function IT organization. - Demonstrated success leading IT in a high-growth manufacturing, hardware, or industrial company — scaling infrastructure, systems, and teams to keep pace with rapid operational growth. - Deep experience operating IT in a compliance-intensive environment — owning SOX IT general controls and the broader controls environment, and standing up or maturing a first-time formal controls program as a company scales. - Executive command of cybersecurity and IT risk — able to set strategy and hold accountability for the security program and incident and disclosure governance. - Genuine commitment to and excitement for AI as a force multiplier — with a track record of building the infrastructure and application enablement that AI adoption requires and of driving AI-powered automation within their own organization by example. Capable of leading enterprise-wide AI transformation as the mandate grows, without requiring it as the starting scope. - Demonstrated ability to attract, build, and retain extraordinary talent, and to hold a consistently high bar for performance expectations across the team — developing leaders and raising the caliber of the organization over time. - A track record of building lean, metrics-driven, audit-ready IT operations with high service levels across multiple sites. - Strong vendor and budget management. - Executive-grade communication and a hands-on, pragmatic style suited to a fast-paced hardware and manufacturing environment. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: - Experience leading IT through a period of significant company scaling and maturing controls, ideally in manufacturing, energy, or critical-infrastructure sectors. - Familiarity with the IT/OT boundary in a manufacturing setting. - Breadth across enterprise platforms (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Atlassian), enterprise business systems (ERP, PLM), identity, and cloud. - Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISA, PMP, ITIL, Microsoft / cloud) or equivalent demonstrated expertise. #LI-Hybrid 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.