Director, Capital Projects

Alameda, CA

About Us

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?

Who You Are

The Director, Capital Projects will lead Sila in all large-scale project efforts including the design and build of new manufacturing facilities, upgrades to existing facilities, and large improvement projects. This individual will be responsible for running and scaling a team that will allow Sila to scale and grow into an industrial leader in manufacturing battery materials. This individual will build effective teams through recruiting, onboarding, coaching, effective prioritization and planning, feedback, and career development. The Director, Capital Projects will implement and manage industry best practices for engineering, project development, scheduling, budgeting, cost control, construction management, progress reporting, productivity, and scaling strategy for the business. The position will ensure robust processes are in place for all regulatory requirements during the project lifetime cycle, specifically; environmental, safety and quality.

Responsibilities and Duties  

  • Strategize & Lead: Develop and shape the company's scaling strategy from an engineering and project management perspective to support global growth. Build and lead a high-performing engineering, project and construction team.
  • Technical Oversight: Direct all phases of large capital projects, including planning, Facility Engineering Design, FEL stage gate process, contract strategy, contractor management, build execution, and project closeout.
  • Manage Programs: Build and improve key project programs, such as resource utilization, budget control, scheduling, quality, and risk management. Design, implement, and improve programs that challenge the status quo and create innovative and effective approaches to design and build. 
  • Project Management: lead project performance, project controls - schedule & budget
  • Drive Alignment: Ensure project alignment across facility engineering, project management, manufacturing, technology engineering, EH&S, and other teams.
  • Communicate Progress: Own all internal and external communications regarding project progress, efficiency, and cost performance.
  • Manage Contractors: Manage relationships with contractors, resolving contractual, budget, and schedule issues.
  • Oversee the establishment of facility project design criteria: including architectural, MEP, BIM, process and structural disciplines
  • Ensure Operational Readiness: Work with the Operations team to implement effective strategies for project completion, commissioning, and plant startup.
  • Foster Culture: Inspire stakeholders and champion a culture of continuous improvement. Drive a mindset of high quality performance with urgency to meet business needs.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements 

  • Experience: minimum of 15 years of progressive, senior leadership experience leading engineering and project teams with a proven track record of scaling, driving organizational change, and managing multi-million dollar budgets.
  • Bachelor’s Degree in a science, engineering, construction management discipline or related field. 
  • Technical Expertise: Skilled in project planning and risk management.
  • Skilled in project planning, risk management, project execution, meeting facilitation, presentation, and communication to all levels of the organization. 
  • Communication: Excellent presentation and communication skills.
  • Travel: Willingness to travel to build sites.
  • Knowledgeable in PMP/PMI. Certification nice-to-have.
  • Process Safety: Experience with PSM-covered processes preferred.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

  • Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, hardhat, lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes 
  • Operate a computer and other office equipment, such as a laptop, copier/printer, etc in a fixed location
  • Ability to work 5 days onsite in Alameda or Moses Lake, WA 
  • 30% business travel required primarily to and from Alameda, CA and  Moses Lake, WA and other business sites as needed

The starting base pay for this role is between $207,000 and $266,000 at the time of posting. The actual base pay depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and skills. Base pay is only one part of Sila’s competitive Total Rewards package that can include benefits, perks, equity, and bonuses.  The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. #LI-Onsite 

Working at Sila

We believe that building a diverse team at Sila helps us amplify our individual talents. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating an inclusive environment where good ideas are free to come from anyone. We are proud to celebrate diversity and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.

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