Position Overview:
Solid Power is seeking a Program Manager or Senior Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional programs supporting the development, qualification, scale-up, and commercialization of next-generation solid-state battery materials and technologies. Programs may include strategic customer programs, joint development partnerships, and critical internal technology, manufacturing, operational, or commercialization initiatives.
This role is responsible for end-to-end program execution, including scope, schedule, budget, resources, risk, quality, and stakeholder alignment. The Program Manager partners across R&D, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, EH&S, Commercial, Finance, and other functions to deliver program objectives and support successful transitions from development to production.
For customer-facing programs, the Program Manager serves as the primary interface with strategic customers and development partners, ensuring alignment between customer commitments and Solid Power's technical and operational execution. This role may also collaborate closely with Solid Power's Korea organization to support program delivery and customer engagement.
Job Duties:
- Lead assigned customer-facing and/or strategic internal programs, with accountability for scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, resources, and deliverables.
- Develop and maintain integrated program plans, including objectives, schedules, milestones, critical paths, resource requirements, budgets, dependencies, and deliverables.
- Monitor program performance against approved baselines and drive corrective actions and recovery plans as needed.
- Lead cross-functional teams across R&D, Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, EH&S, Commercial, Finance, and other functions through development, qualification, scale-up, and commercialization activities.
- Manage programs through applicable APQP, stage-gate, product development, qualification, and production readiness processes, ensuring applicable gate criteria and deliverables are satisfied.
- Translate customer, technical, commercial, and internal requirements into executable plans, milestones, deliverables, acceptance criteria, and work packages while maintaining effective requirements traceability, scope management, and change-control processes.
- Own program financial and resource planning and performance, including budgets, forecasts, actuals, staffing, equipment, material requirements, and identification of capacity constraints.
- Establish and maintain risk, issue, dependency, action, and decision-management processes, drive timely cross-functional decisions, and ensure appropriate mitigation, escalation, and closure.
- Develop and communicate objective program health metrics, status reports, governance reviews, and executive updates covering schedule, cost, quality, technical performance, risks, and readiness.
- Serve as the primary interface for customer-facing programs, leading program reviews, technical exchanges, executive updates, and customer communications while ensuring alignment between customer commitments and internal execution. Partner with Solid Power's Korea organization as applicable to support effective collaboration and communication.
- Collaborate with Commercial, Finance, Legal, suppliers, development partners, and technical leadership to ensure alignment with contracts, statements of work, deliverables, and commercial objectives.
- Execute programs in accordance with PMO standards and contribute to continuous improvement of program management processes, governance, and best practices, including program closeout and lessons learned activities.
Qualifications/Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Business, Program Management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Program Manager: Typically 5+ years of relevant program, project, or product development experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives.
- Senior Program Manager: Typically 10+ years of relevant program management experience leading large, strategically important programs with customer, technical, financial, and executive visibility.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex programs from planning through development, qualification, scale-up, launch, production, or equivalent lifecycle phases.
- Experience with structured program and product-development methodologies, including APQP, stage-gate, product lifecycle management, or similar frameworks. APQP experience is strongly preferred for automotive programs.
- Proven ability to develop and manage integrated schedules, critical paths, budgets, forecasts, resource plans, risks, issues, dependencies, and program performance metrics.
- Strong cross-functional leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills, with the ability to influence, build alignment, and drive accountability without direct authority.
- Ability to communicate effectively with executives, customers, technical teams, and operational stakeholders, translating complex technical information into clear, actionable recommendations.
- Experience serving as the primary interface for strategic customers, development partners, or external stakeholders is preferred for customer-facing assignments.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Project or similar scheduling tools and standard business systems; SAP experience preferred.
- PMP certification preferred.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving technology environment while exercising sound judgment, managing competing priorities, and driving commitments to closure.
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in battery materials, solid-state batteries, electrolytes, cathodes, anodes, powder processing, chemical processing, or related material-development fields.
- Experience leading technology or product development through pilot production, qualification, manufacturing scale-up, production readiness, and commercialization.
- Automotive industry experience with an OEM, Tier 1 supplier, battery manufacturer, or materials supplier, including practical APQP application.
- Experience managing joint development agreements, strategic customer programs, product development partnerships, or similar collaborative development models.
- Experience managing statements of work, contractual deliverables, customer milestones, and formal change-control processes.
- Experience working in technology development, advanced manufacturing, startup, or rapidly evolving environment.
- Experience operating within a formal PMO structure, including governance, program reviews, executive reporting, dashboards, metrics, and risk management.
- Experience working with global teams, including collaboration across U.S. and Korea-based organizations; Korean language proficiency is a plus.
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to sit, stand, or walk for extended periods of time.
Salary Range: $115,000 - $160,000/year
Benefits: Solid Power offers a comprehensive benefit package that includes medical/dental/vision insurance, employer paid Life/AD&D/STD/LTD insurance, 401k with company match, 8 paid holidays + the week between Christmas and New Years off, Unlimited PTO, up to six (6) weeks paid FMLA leave, cell phone reimbursement and eligibility to participate in our bonus and equity plans.
Export Control Requirements: This position could require access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls. Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items.
Company may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or may modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as Company deems appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions.
This position will be posted for a minimum of 7 days and will remain open until filled or adjusted based on the volume of applicants.
All offers of employment at Solid Power are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check.
Please no soliciting from staffing agencies. Thank you!
#LI-Onsite
#LI-CG1