Program Manager

Sila•Alameda, CA

8h•$168,000 - $212,000•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’s Program Managers act as the "flight control tower" for our critical, multi-year integrated programs. This leadership role bridges R&D, engineering, capital project, and commercial workstreams to ensure complex products scale smoothly from lab to market. You aren't executing the functional tasks—you are orchestrating the sequencing, integration, and high-stakes decision-making required to land our strategic objectives safely, on time, and in-line with target financial metrics.

Requirements

10+ years in battery technology, automotive, chemical process, semiconductor, oil & gas, or a similarly complex hardware-plus-process industry.
5+ years leading complex technical and/or business programs that integrate R&D, manufacturing scale-up, and commercial execution.
Proven experience transferring novel technology and/or products from R&D into high-volume manufacturing environments.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in an Engineering or Physical Science field.
Deep, demonstrable expertise in core program and project management disciplines—including decision quality, scheduling, budgeting, project framing, financial analysis, risk communication and analysis, and resource allocation.
Proven ability to navigate a matrix model, ensuring functional activities support macro program objectives without duplicating effort.
Skilled at distilling complex technical, financial, and commercial data into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
Adept at driving alignment among executives and SMEs, escalating effectively, and balancing technical risks with business objectives.
Strong understanding of Stage-Gate methodologies, with the ability to leverage Agile or Waterfall frameworks depending on the workflow.
Comfortable driving execution and maintaining momentum especially in the face of uncertainties, when strategies shift, or deliverables are fluid.

Responsibilities

Drive major cross-functional programs linking R&D (materials/equipment/battery development), Operations (manufacturing), Capital Projects (manufacturing scale-up), and Product + Commercial teams (customer "Plans to Win").
Design and communicate workflows to resolve complex uncertainties and decisions. Maintain the "single source of truth" (integrated databases and governance tools) to keep objectives, metrics, and technical data synchronized across functions.
Optimize the timing of R&D breakthroughs, scale-up projects, and commercial milestones to hit financial and strategic targets (e.g., revenue run rate, ROIC).
Serve as the central point of accountability for program health, working closely with the Exec Sponsor and Steering Team to steward the program’s direction and approach. Deliver crisp status updates, risk assessments, and roadblock resolutions to executives and collaborators. Lead and participate in company-wide, cross-program prioritization efforts.
Lead execs and functional managers through high-stakes decisions (e.g., project scoping, partner selection) and proactively mitigate cross-program dependencies before they impact timelines.