General Manager, Global Lithium Battery Manufacturing and Battery Cell R&D in London

Job Description (Overall Role Purpose) Responsible for the strategic planning, global operations management, and advanced research and development of lithium battery cell manufacturing across the Group\’s global operations. The role oversees battery cell R&D, mass production, quality systems, supply chain, supply chain planning, and new technology development, including sodium-ion and solid-state batteries.
Key Responsibilities / Duties Align global lithium battery manufacturing and R&D activities with the Group\’s business strategy and long-term development plans.
Plan and manage global product portfolio and production capacity across global lithium battery manufacturing facilities.
Oversee end-to-end operations of lithium battery factories, including battery cell R&D, manufacturing, quality assurance, engineering, EHS, supply chain, and infrastructure.
Lead battery cell research, development, and industrialisation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells in cylindrical, prismatic aluminium-case, and pouch formats.
Manage R&D-to-mass-production transfer for battery cells used in telecommunications power backup, commercial and industrial energy storage, automotive start-stop systems, and UPS Battery applications for AI data centres.
Establish manufacturing processes, technical standards, and production specifications for battery cell production.
Resolve complex technical, yield, and process issues during mass production.
Drive automation upgrades and continuous improvement initiatives to improve efficiency, yield, and product quality stability.
Lead collaboration with universities, research institutes, and upstream/downstream partners on advanced battery technologies, including large-format (500Ah and above) cells, sodium-ion batteries, and semi-solid or solid-state batteries.
Plan and deliver new factories, new production lines, capacity expansion projects, and major technical upgrades.
Ensure manufacturing sites meet production, delivery, quality, cost, and financial targets.
Establish and maintain comprehensive quality management systems and lead corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) for major quality issues.
Job Requirements (Skills, Knowledge and Experience) Minimum Qualifications Bachelor\’s degree from a recognised university in engineering, materials science, chemistry, or a related discipline.
Relevant Experience Minimum 15 years of experience in lithium‐ion battery manufacturing enterprises, with proven track record on battery cell or PACK production operations in mass scale.
Minimum 10 years of experience in senior management roles overseeing multiple operational functions or enterprise‐wide manufacturing activities.
Minimum 10 years of experience in lithium‐ion battery materials development, battery cell R&D, and mass production industrialisation.
Experience in development or scale‐up of sodium‐ion batteries and semi‐solid or solid‐state battery technologies.
Proven competencies in high‐power and long‐life battery cell design and material selection.
Practical knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, IATF 16949, and manufacturing quality management systems.
Technical Skills Lithium‐ion battery cell design and development across industries on telecom, UPS critical power, data centre, ESS, automotive and motive, etc.
Battery manufacturing process engineering.
R&D-to-mass‐production transfer.
Quality management systems and CAPA.
Factory planning and project delivery.
Automation and manufacturing process optimisation.
Sodium Ion and Solid state R&D.
Language Requirements Proficiency in both Mandarin Chinese and English for coordination with global manufacturing facilities, suppliers, and technical teams.

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