VP of Manufacturing

Kunin Technologies • Chattanooga, TN

1d

About The Position

Kunin Technologies is automating roll-to-roll processing of ion-exchange media, a serial production challenge comparable to manufacturing battery electrodes. The VP of Manufacturing will own execution of the demonstration line from design freeze through procurement, construction, installation, commissioning, and nameplate operation, delivering it on schedule and within budget. The role owns the plan, critical path, and outcome and leads a team of ten, with a target to deliver the line by the end of 2027.

The demonstration line will provide the foundation for a Series A–B greenfield manufacturing facility at ten times the scale, with automated material handling and integrated back-end exchange-media packaging equipment. The company’s stated goal is to become the world’s largest-volume producer of ion-exchange media by 2030. The position is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with intermittent travel to partner facilities. Extended hours and weekends are frequently required to support critical project milestones. U.S. citizenship is required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering field; chemical, mechanical, or industrial engineering is preferred.
• At least 8 years delivering capital projects or production lines with direct ownership of schedule and budget.
• Personally taken a production line or plant from purchase order to nameplate operation.
• Experience hiring and leading multidisciplinary engineering and production teams.
• Experience with facility design, utilities, permitting, and site selection.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and demanding environment.
• Creative problem-solving ability spanning reactive chemistry, radiochemistry, material handling, and fluid mechanics.
• Must be a U.S. citizen.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with battery, converting, chemical plant, or similar process-line buildouts.

Responsibilities

• Execute the roll-to-roll line build, including the master schedule, budget, long-lead equipment procurement, contractor management, installation, and commissioning through nameplate operation.
• Lead the Chattanooga engineering team day to day, provide stage-gate reporting to the founders, and de-risk the critical path.
• Ensure facility readiness, including power, cooling, ventilation, chemical storage and handling, waste streams, permitting, and code compliance.
• Hold vendors and contractors accountable for factory acceptance tests (FATs), site acceptance tests (SATs), installation subcontracting, and service agreements.
• Own safety across construction and operations, including procedures, training, and compliance from first delivery through steady-state production.
• Lay groundwork for Series A–B expansion, including greenfield site selection and project siting, facilities design at ten times the scale, and hiring dedicated production staff.

What This Job Offers

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