Director of Cell Equipment and Manufacturing Engineering

Sila • Alameda, CA

21h • $207,000 - $262,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We are Sila, a next-generation battery materials company. Our mission is to power the world’s transition to clean energy. To create this future, our team is building a better lithium-ion battery from the inside out today. We engineer and manufacture ground-breaking battery materials that significantly increase the energy density of batteries, while reducing their size and weight. The result? Smaller more powerful batteries that can unlock innovation in consumer devices and accelerate the mass adoption of electric cars to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. We're tackling one of the biggest challenges of our time every day, and together we're redefining what's possible. Are you ready to be a part of a team committed to changing the world?

Sila is seeking a Director of Cell Equipment and Manufacturing Engineering to build and lead the technical organization responsible for the equipment specification, vendor selection, machinery bring-up, and manufacturing line optimization across our cell production facilities. Reporting directly to the VP of Foundry Operations, this executive will serve as the primary authority for transforming cell process chemistry into high-speed, automated, and audit-ready manufacturing lines.

This position is distinct from our early-stage R&D Battery Engineering team; while R&D develops early material chemistries and lab-scale cells, the Director of Cell Equipment and Manufacturing Engineering owns the physical industrialization—taking custom machinery from initial concept and sourcing through installation, line bring-up, and steady-state high-yield production.

The ideal candidate blends rigorous equipment engineering expertise with deep operational bring-up experience. You know how to author tight equipment specifications, run global tendering processes with machine builders, manage Factory and Site Acceptance Testing (FAT/SAT), and lead hands-on line commissioning in dry room and cleanroom environments. You are a low-ego, data-driven leader who excels at bridging technical teams and scaling talent in high-growth hardware environments.

Requirements

• Minimum 10+ years in equipment engineering, battery manufacturing engineering, or automated industrial machinery bring-up, with 5+ years leading technical engineering teams.
• Direct experience specifying, selecting, and bringing up core cell manufacturing machinery: mixers, coaters, slitters, winders/stackers, tab welders, pouch/can sealers, electrolyte filling, formation/aging systems, and EOL test equipment.
• Proven track record running vendor selection, design reviews, and FAT/SAT with global equipment OEMs.
• Hands-on experience taking complex hardware lines through commissioning to qualified, high-yield production.
• Practical understanding of dry room requirements (dew point controls), cleanrooms, and chemical/hazardous media safety compliance.
• Experience operating in fast-paced, high-growth, hardware environments with a pragmatic, continuous-improvement mindset.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related technical field.

Responsibilities

• Define standard equipment requirements, line architecture, machine safety protocols, and line layouts across electrode, cell assembly, formation, aging, and end-of-line testing.
• Direct technical RFQs, vendor evaluations, design reviews, and technical agreements with global equipment OEMs across North America, Europe, and Asia.
• Own end-to-end equipment commissioning: direct Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) at vendor sites, oversee shipping and installation, and execute Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and mechanical/electrical bring-up.
• Lead process engineering and line optimization post-commissioning to drive steady-state throughput, line yield, OEE, statistical process control (SPC), and cost-down roadmaps.
• Collaborate with R&D Battery Engineering and Product teams to align cell specifications and form factors to define automated assembly tooling and automated high-rate lines.
• Partner with the Capital Project team to execute construction, integrating cell infrastructure, including clean rooms, dry rooms, solvent recovery systems, hazardous material handling, and dry air systems.
• Direct the integration of machine controls, PLC architectures, robotics, and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to track production data, quality metrics, and maintenance scheduling.
• Recruit, mentor, and scale a multi-disciplinary team spanning equipment engineers, process engineers, controls/automation engineers, and field service technicians.
• Finalize equipment specifications, the supplier matrix, and capital expenditure plans for Sila's initial GWh-scale commercial plant lines.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director