
Senior Manager, Production at Formenergy (Weirton, WV)
Formenergy· Weirton, WV·
Role details
Formenergy at a glance
Multi-day iron-air battery storage for the electric grid, made in America.
Form Energy designs and manufactures grid-scale iron-air batteries that store electricity for up to 100 hours, far longer than lithium-ion, at a fraction of the cost. It sells these systems to electric utilities and developers to firm up renewable power and keep the grid reliable through multi-day stress periods, and offers Formware software to model the value of that storage.
$1.2B+ raised · latest: Series F · $405M · 2024 · backed by T. Rowe Price, GE Vernova, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, TPG Rise Climate
Job description
Are you ready to build America’s energy future? Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company. We’re revolutionizing energy storage with cost-effective, multi-day technology designed to keep the electric grid secure and reliable, even during extended periods of stress. By strengthening the electric system and reimagining what’s possible, we’re giving clean energy a whole new form!
In recent years, Form Energy has earned a number of accolades, including being named by TIME as a “Best Invention”, MIT Technology Review as a “Top Climate Tech Company To Watch”, and Fast Company as “One of the Next Big Things In Tech”. We are making rapid progress on our mission of delivering energy storage for a better world, and our team is growing just as rapidly to meet demand. We have signed contracts with leading electric utilities across the United States and production of our iron-air batteries is underway at our first high-volume manufacturing facility in West Virginia.
Working for Form Energy is more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something extraordinary. And now - right as we significantly scale up battery manufacturing - might be the most exciting moment in the company’s history to join. We are assembling a team of highly talented and driven individuals across the country. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, our team is determined to deliver on our mission and transform the energy landscape for the better.
Feeling energized to make a meaningful impact on the world? Then keep reading - you’ve come to the right place.
Role Description
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced senior manager of production within the manufacturing operations department to drive forward the manufacturing of Form Energy’s iron-air batteries. This leader will focus on ramping our manufacturing efforts, drawing upon your operational experiences to select and implement best practices across various areas within the company and leading best-in-class methodologies for various manufacturing challenges. Your primary focus will be driving production-based systems and projects, but will extend into areas of inventory management, quality control, training, supply chain, and engineering. This opportunity is based out of Form Factory 1 in Weirton, WV. Relocation assistance is available.
What you'll do:
- Lead manufacturing teams in Form Factory 1 across various production lines generating battery components and finished goods.
- Develop and evaluate metrics to gauge operational health, meet production goals, and continuously improve the operation.
- Evaluate, select, and implement industry leading production best-practices, collaborating closely with various departments such as supply chain, quality control, warehousing, engineering, and maintenance.
- Select, train, and mentor team members in a growing production environment, identifying organization needs well in advance through headcount and build planning.
- Collaborate with engineering and maintenance teams on identified challenges with a strong focus on continuous improvement efforts, using data driven decision making tied to OEE and other key operational metrics.
- Develop training methodologies for effectively onboarding staff and scaling an organization.
- Develop implementation plans, timelines, budgets and metrics/reporting for adopting and integrating best practices in coordination with project managers, department leaders, and senior management.
What you'll bring:
- 10+ years of direct experience in operations and manufacturing, ideally in the battery industry or similar environment, with a proven track record of increasing responsibility over time and delivering results.
- Inspirational, empathic, and strategic leader with high motivation to deliver on our goals and exceptional communication skills.
- History of scaling operations and receiving transfers of new production lines and equipment, acting in the role of the end customer and identifying operational challenges early.
- Lean and/or Six Sigma experience, with a strong dedication to data analysis.
- Experience leading continuous improvement initiatives through established practices like Kaizen, Gemba Walks, and OEE analysis to drive improvements on equipment, processes, and other inefficiencies identified.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyze complex operational challenges and recommend effective solutions.
- Strong project management skills.
- A proactive, can-do mindset and ability to adapt to changing business needs in a quickly growing organization.
- Direct knowledge with MES and ERP systems and tailoring those to suit operational needs.
- Direct familiarity with engineering principles such as formal root cause problem solving (8D), NCRs, MRB, CAPAs, containment processes, SCARs, etc.
- Experience with creating training materials for all levels of an organization.
- Bachelor's degree in operations management, or a related field.
Where you'll work:
This role is based at Form Factory 1 in Weirton, WV—an easy commute from the city of Pittsburgh, PA. This 550,000-square-foot facility is our hub for high-volume battery production and a leader in the new era of American energy manufacturing. Relocation assistance is available.
#LI-Onsite
#LI-DL1
Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy’s culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here.
When it comes to you and your family’s health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed.
To build America’s energy future, we need everyone at the table. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply to our open jobs.
If you may require reasonable accommodations to participate in our interview process, please contact accommodations@formenergy.com. Requests for accommodations will be treated with discretion.
Form Energy is committed to maintaining the privacy of our applicants. Please be aware that we will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.
Why work at Formenergy
- Culture: Driven by core values of Humanity, Excellence, and Creativity. Emphasis on inclusion, empathy, pragmatic optimism, and tackling hard challenges.
- Locations: R&D in Somerville, MA; engineering in Berkeley, CA; manufacturing in Weirton, WV; remote/hybrid options available for some roles.
- Benefits:
- 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums covered for employees; 80% for dependents.
- Health insurance starts day one.
- Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave (more for birth parents).
- Stock options granted to all employees.
- Company-sponsored 401k.
- Annual professional development budget.
- Employee Resource Program (financial/legal guidance).
- Mental health counseling services.
- Life insurance, short- and long-term disability.
- Team size: Nearly 1,000 employees as of early 2025, with plans to grow. formenergy.com/careers
- Awards: Recognized as a Breakthrough Energy company; multiple industry accolades for innovation.