VP, Product

Sila•Alameda, CA

13d•$271,440 - $340,000•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? The Vice President of Product Management is responsible for leading the strategic direction, planning, execution, and optimization of the company’s product portfolio across multiple product categories, markets, and segments. This includes oversight of Product Management, Segment, & Product Marketing ensuring cohesion across product planning, go-to-market execution, and sustained customer success. This role demands not just executional excellence but executive-level maturity, cross-functional influence, and commercial acumen. The VP must continuously balance customer needs, competitive positioning, technical feasibility, and business performance while leading a senior team and contributing to the broader direction of the company.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Engineering, Physical Sciences, or related technical discipline; MBA a strong plus.
5+ years in product management (10+ years preferred), with at least 5 years in senior leadership roles in later-stage or scaling B2B hard tech companies.
Experience overseeing multiple product lines and interfacing with global commercial teams.
Experience in high volume, global, manufacturing products; ideally in industries including consumer electronics, automotive, and defense. Experience with customers in Asia is a strong plus.
Deep knowledge of product lifecycle management, pricing strategies, segment marketing, and go-to-market operations.
Proven ability to lead through influence, manage cross-functional teams, and operate effectively at executive level.
Must have solid technical pedigree to be able to interact with customers (operational/technical ones included) and with the engineering and other technical personnel in the company.
Roadmaps must be aligned to the economic and technical realities of the product and market.
Move items up to 15 lbs with the assistance of lift equipment and carts.
Move long distances (such as from building to building) and be stationary for extended periods of time.
Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc. in a fixed location.

Responsibilities

Own and evolve the multi-product portfolio strategy, including expansion, sunsetting, and product line investments.
Drive cross-functional alignment across RD&E, sales, marketing, service, and operations to define the roadmap, including clearly setting business cases and priorities to deliver on Sila’s strategy.
Lead the team to develop and maintain business cases for each product line.
Ensure tight alignment between product direction and business metrics: revenue growth, margin, market share, customer satisfaction.
Set and track performance KPIs, including adoption, NPS, CLTV, win/loss rates, and product margin.
Drive go-to-market planning in partnership with sales leadership.
Lead initial GTM execution; then support Sales and Program leaders in scaling revenue.
Develop differentiated segment strategies based on customer personas, vertical markets, and use-case complexity.
Lead the integration of customer feedback loops, competitive intelligence, and usage analytics into product planning.
Develop leaders across Product, Marketing & Segment roles.
Guide long-term platform and technology planning with the CTO and RD&E leaders.
Represent the company externally with customers, partners, and in public forums.
Must have experience and knowledge of high volume manufacturing operations and concerns in order to properly represent/understand the customer and to understand the product scaling, integration, and manufacturing requirements.
Manages laterally and upward, not just downward—can align strong, opinionated peers and hold strategic ground.
Able to challenge the CEO and executive team respectfully, with clarity, data, and purpose.
Excels at distinguishing what is known vs. assumed—and ensuring the organization doesn't make costly bets on opinion.
Handles cross-departmental tension (e.g., Sales vs. R&D vs. Product) with maturity and fairness.
Drives “straight talk” without politics—knows when to escalate, when to listen, and when to say no.
Maintains focus and organizational cohesion during times of strategic ambiguity or market turbulence.
Acts as the voice of the customer, not just in aggregate but through real-world, stakeholder-specific insight.