Position Title
Production Director
Position Overview
The Production Director will be responsible for manufacturing system development, production management, process implementation, quality control, and supply chain coordination for advanced flow battery products.
This role will focus on the production and engineering scale-up of key flow battery components and systems, including ion-exchange membranes, battery stacks, electrolyte circulation modules, containerized energy storage systems, and related manufacturing processes.
The candidate should have strong experience in production management, process engineering, quality systems, manufacturing scale-up, and cross-functional coordination.
Key Responsibilities
- Manufacturing System Development
- Establish and optimize manufacturing systems for flow battery components and energy storage systems;
- Develop production planning, process control, quality management, safety management, and cost control mechanisms;
- Support the transition from R&D prototypes to pilot-scale and commercial-scale production;
- Build standardized manufacturing processes, SOPs, work instructions, and production documentation systems.
- Stack & Core Component Production
- Lead production planning and process implementation for flow battery stacks and key components;
- Support manufacturing processes related to stack assembly, sealing, compression, flow field components, membranes, electrodes, gaskets, and structural parts;
- Establish quality control points for stack assembly, leakage testing, electrical testing, and performance validation;
- Improve production consistency, reliability, yield, and manufacturability.
- Membrane & Materials Production Support
- Coordinate production-related work for ion-exchange membranes and other key materials;
- Support process scale-up, production stability, quality inspection, and supplier coordination;
- Work with R&D teams to translate material development results into manufacturable processes;
- Support cost reduction and supply chain localization of key materials.
- System Integration & Manufacturing Coordination
- Coordinate downstream system integration activities for containerized flow battery energy storage products;
- Work with internal and external integration partners on mechanical assembly, piping, electrical integration, thermal management, and system testing;
- Define manufacturing and quality requirements for external suppliers and system integrators;
- Support factory acceptance testing, delivery preparation, and continuous improvement.
- Production Planning & Delivery Management
- Develop production plans based on project requirements, material availability, and capacity constraints;
- Coordinate production, procurement, quality, warehouse, logistics, and engineering teams to ensure timely delivery;
- Monitor production progress, resolve bottlenecks, and improve operational efficiency;
- Build scalable production capacity to support future product deployment.
- Quality, Safety & Process Control
- Establish and improve quality control systems for flow battery manufacturing;
- Implement incoming quality control, in-process inspection, final inspection, and traceability management;
- Promote 5S, lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, and safety management practices;
- Analyze production defects, organize root-cause analysis, and implement corrective and preventive actions.
- Team Building & Supplier Management
- Build and manage production, process, equipment, quality, and manufacturing engineering teams;
- Develop training systems, performance metrics, and team capability improvement plans;
- Coordinate suppliers, processing partners, equipment vendors, and external manufacturers;
- Participate in supplier evaluation, process audits, and production capability assessments
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s degree or above in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrochemistry, Industrial Engineering, Automation, Energy Engineering, or related disciplines.
Experience
- 8+ years of experience in production management, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, or operations management;
- Experience in batteries, energy storage systems, fuel cells, flow batteries, membranes, electrochemical systems, or advanced manufacturing is preferred;
- Experience in pilot production, production line setup, manufacturing scale-up, and quality system development is strongly preferred.
Skills & Competencies
- Strong production management and process implementation capability;
- Familiarity with manufacturing systems, quality control, production planning, and cost management;
- Strong understanding of process standardization, yield improvement, and production traceability;
- Ability to coordinate R&D, engineering, procurement, quality, and external manufacturing partners;
- Strong problem-solving capability and hands-on manufacturing execution ability;
- Good communication, team management, and cross-functional coordination skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in flow battery stack production, fuel cell stack manufacturing, membrane production, lithium battery manufacturing, or energy storage system integration;
- Experience in building production lines from 0 to 1;
- Familiarity with lean manufacturing, 5S, TPM, MES, ERP, SPC, FMEA, APQP, or related manufacturing tools;
- Experience in supplier process audits, equipment selection, automation improvement, and quality system certification;
- Familiarity with IEC, UL, ISO9001, ISO14001, or energy storage-related standards is preferred.
Role Expectations
The Production Director is expected to build a reliable, scalable, and quality-driven manufacturing system for advanced flow battery products. The role will bridge R&D, engineering, production, and supply chain functions, supporting the company’s transition from technology development to commercial product manufacturing.
