Manager, Supplier Industrialization Engineering - Powertrain Batteries

Lucid Motors•Newark, NJ

About The Position

Lucid is seeking a Manager, Supplier Industrialization Engineering, Battery Pack & Cells to lead supplier industrialization, manufacturing readiness, quality maturity, and launch execution for battery cells, battery packs, and critical battery subcomponents. The role owns industrialization strategy and execution from supplier nomination and product development through APQP, process validation, PPAP/LQP, Safe Launch, production ramp, and series production. The manager leads a team of Supplier Industrialization Engineers and works across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and supplier organizations to deliver successful launches and strong manufacturing performance. The role oversees supplier manufacturing readiness, including evaluation and approval of processes, automation, tooling, equipment, capacity, facility layouts, traceability, and quality controls. It leads manufacturing and process validation activities, ensures production-intent capability, manages supplier risks and recovery plans, and establishes objective readiness criteria. Scope includes battery-cell manufacturing, battery-pack assembly, and critical Tier-2 suppliers, as well as supplier quality problem-solving, capacity and cost optimization, and support for sourcing, localization, and dual-source decisions. The manager recruits, develops, mentors, and leads the Battery Pack & Cell Supplier Industrialization team; sets ownership and resource plans; and serves as the management-level escalation point. The role requires frequent global supplier and manufacturing-facility engagement, flexibility across time zones and cultures, and domestic and international travel.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
At least 8 years of experience in Supplier Industrialization, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Battery Manufacturing, Automotive Manufacturing, or related industries.
At least 3 years of technical leadership and/or people-management experience.
Strong expertise in APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, SPC, process-capability studies, Run-at-Rate validation, and structured problem solving.
Demonstrated experience launching new products and managing supplier readiness through production launch.
Strong understanding of highly automated, high-volume manufacturing systems.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, specifications, manufacturing documentation, and process-performance data.
Proven experience leading supplier escalations and cross-functional problem-solving activities.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.
Comfort operating across multiple time zones, cultures, and manufacturing environments.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with lithium-ion battery cells, including prismatic, cylindrical, or pouch cells, or high-voltage battery-pack manufacturing.
Experience industrializing both battery-cell and battery-pack manufacturing systems.
Strong understanding of battery-manufacturing processes and battery-quality control methodologies.
Experience with welding and joining processes, adhesive and thermal-interface dispensing, electrical interconnect assembly, leak testing, End-of-Line testing, automated assembly systems, and traceability systems.
Experience with IATF 16949, VDA 6.3, AIAG Core Tools, and automotive product-launch requirements.
Experience leading globally distributed teams and suppliers across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Six Sigma Black Belt, Green Belt, or equivalent structured problem-solving certification.

Responsibilities

Lead the Supplier Industrialization organization responsible for battery cells, battery packs, and critical battery subcomponents.
Develop and execute supplier industrialization strategies for new products, suppliers, production lines, manufacturing expansions, and localization initiatives.
Own APQP, PPAP, LQP, Production Sign-Off Approval, Run-at-Rate, Safe Launch, and production-readiness execution.
Engage suppliers from sourcing and concept phases through product launch and series production, establishing ownership, milestones, deliverables, timing expectations, and escalation paths.
Evaluate and approve supplier manufacturing processes, automation systems, tooling, equipment, capacity models, facility layouts, traceability systems, and quality controls.
Lead Factory Acceptance Testing, Site Acceptance Testing, Run-at-Rate validation, capacity assessments, process audits, and PPAP-readiness reviews.
Verify manufacturing lines, equipment, and tooling are production-intent and capable of meeting product requirements.
Ensure testing, traceability, reliability controls, screening methodologies, rework controls, and reaction plans are in place.
Identify manufacturing risks early and implement mitigation plans to protect vehicle and battery-program milestones.
Drive APQP deliverables, including DFMEA, PFMEA, process flow diagrams, control plans, MSA studies, capability analyses, and PPAP documentation.
Ensure Critical-to-Quality features and Special Characteristics are translated into effective manufacturing and inspection controls.
Establish measurable quality-readiness and process-capability acceptance criteria, and base production approvals on objective manufacturing evidence.
Lead supplier recovery activities when APQP, validation, tooling, or launch timing is at risk.
Lead battery-cell supplier industrialization from development through mass production, including readiness for new chemistries, technologies, factories, and process changes.
Partner with Cell Engineering to translate product requirements into robust manufacturing controls and drive corrective actions and continuous improvement for cell manufacturing issues.
Lead battery-pack manufacturing and critical Tier-2 supplier industrialization across assembly, joining, welding, thermal management, sealing, electrical interconnects, dispensing, traceability, testing, and End-of-Line validation.
Drive Tier-2 APQP and PPAP readiness in alignment with pack-level launch milestones, and develop escalation and recovery plans when supplier readiness threatens program timing.
Lead containment, recovery, and escalation for significant supplier manufacturing and quality issues using structured problem-solving methods, including 8D, 5 Why, Ishikawa, DOE, and statistical analysis.
Establish risk-based supplier audit strategies and validate corrective-action effectiveness before closure.
Escalate systemic supplier risks affecting safety, quality, delivery, cost, capacity, or launch readiness.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and lead Battery Pack & Cell Supplier Industrialization Engineers; establish commodity ownership, regional coverage, knowledge-transfer, and succession plans.
Allocate resources based on supplier risk, technical complexity, launch timing, and business priorities.
Partner with Battery Engineering, Global Supply Management, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Logistics, Reliability, Validation, Program Management, and vehicle engineering teams.
Serve as the management-level escalation point for supplier industrialization activities.
Support sourcing decisions through technical risk assessments, manufacturing-feasibility reviews, and supplier-capability evaluations.
Partner on supplier selection, localization, dual-source strategies, manufacturing-footprint decisions, and cost optimization.
Evaluate supplier capacity, OEE, cycle times, yields, scrap performance, bottlenecks, and scalability against program requirements.