Director of Operations and Maintenance, ESS

Direct supervisory responsibility for BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems) field service management, field service teams, technicians, maintenance specialists, project coordinators, contractors, and support staff. Accountable for organizational design, talent development, performance management culture, and safety leadership across the function. Redwood Materials is seeking a Director of Operations and Maintenance Director – Operations and Maintenance to define the operating model for all field service and maintenance activities for commercial and utility-scale BESS. This executive leadership role plays a critical part in our mission to build a sustainable battery supply chain by ensuring the reliable, safe, and high-performance operation of deployed energy storage systems. You will be responsible for owning the full O&M lifecycle from strategy through execution. The position requires meaningful field presence and cross-functional leadership to ensure safety, regulatory compliance, asset reliability, and customer satisfaction across dynamic project sites. As a foundational leadership hire, this role requires a player-coach approach during the organizational build-out phase, with direct execution responsibility that transitions to team leadership as the function matures. • Develop and own the multi-year O&M strategy, operating model, and roadmap; define and govern service standards, technical procedures, and safety frameworks to ensure fleet-wide consistency and continuous improvement. • Ensure all commercial and contractual commitments are met, including performance guarantees, availability targets, and SLAs; oversee warranty claim management and technical support. • Develop and manage KPIs across availability, safety, response time, and cost; lead business case development and investment decisions and manage the O&M budget. • Lead all field service and O&M activities across the BESS fleet, including proactive maintenance, troubleshooting, repairs, and system optimization; track daily operational metrics and hold teams accountable to performance targets. • Build, recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing O&M organization; provide direct in-field leadership and execution oversight as the organization scales, including field deployments up to 50% travel; champion ergonomic, 5S, and safety initiatives across all sites. • Own vendor and contractor selection, qualification, and commercial negotiations; drive implementation of tracking systems, digital tools, and maintenance schedules to support O&M efficiency and performance visibility. • Collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, EHS, Logistics, and Commercial teams on process improvement and root cause analysis; represent O&M in executive reviews, customer escalations, and commercial negotiations.