Materials Business Unit Head

SES

Woburn, Massachusetts

Full Time

Posted March 17, 2026

Energy Storage

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Job Description

This role involves leading the global Materials Business Unit at SES AI Corp., focusing on strategy, market development, product leadership, and operations for next-generation battery materials, with an emphasis on electrolytes and chemical ecosystems to support advanced battery technologies.

Key Responsibilities

Own all sales, business development, and revenue management for the Materials Business Unit.
Develop and execute strategic plans for markets, partners, and product priorities.
Lead go-to-market strategies and expand commercial relationships with OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and chemical companies in the US, EU, Japan, and Korea.
Translate customer requirements into R&D roadmaps for electrolyte and battery materials.
Guide R&D and external partners to improve material qualification and yield.
Establish pricing, packaging, commercial models, and contracting frameworks.
Manage operations, quality, and JV performance across global facilities.
Align materials supply chain, capacity, and testing timelines with program milestones.
Build and lead a high-performing, cross-functional team with industry-specific expertise.
Represent SES at industry conferences and develop external messaging and collateral.

Requirements

10-20 years of experience in materials, chemicals, battery supply chain, electrolytes, or adjacent industries.
Strong business development and deal-making track record with OEMs, Tier-1 companies, or chemical companies.
Experience in Japan and Korea markets.
Demonstrated profit and loss (P L) ownership experience.
Hands-on, first-principles thinker with customer and factory-floor experience.
Experience working in a product technology-driven environment.
Excellent English language skills; proficiency in Japanese or Korean is a plus.
Ability to develop and execute a 1-3 year strategy covering markets, partners, product priorities, and capacity needs.
Ability to build annual quarterly plans with Finance, Legal, and executive leadership.
Experience leading go-to-market strategies for electrolyte and key battery materials, driving growth with enterprise OEM, Tier-1, and chemical supplier customers.
Experience expanding commercial relationships across Japan and Korea, leveraging existing networks and establishing new strategic partnerships.
Proven ability to develop, negotiate, and close major supply, co-development, and licensing agreements.
Ability to translate customer requirements into a prioritized materials R D roadmap supporting ESS and Drone cells.
Experience guiding R D and external partners to improve time-to-qualification and yield.
Experience establishing pricing, packaging, commercial models, and contracting frameworks.
Ability to create disciplined pipeline management and forecasting processes.
Experience partnering with engineering and R D teams to streamline technical-to-commercial handoffs.
Ability to collaborate with Operations, QA, and EHS across global facilities.
Experience overseeing joint venture (JV) performance, governance, budgets, and KPIs.
Ability to align S OP, capacity, supply chain, and materials flow with BU revenue goals.
Experience synchronizing materials BU output with program milestones and ensuring materials qualification aligns with testing timelines.
Proven team leadership skills, including building and leading a high-leverage hybrid team.
Experience recruiting talent with strong KR JP chemical electrolyte industry experience.
Ability to foster a culture of energy, humility, learning, and first-principles thinking.
Experience representing a company at conferences and trade shows, and developing external messaging, positioning, and collateral.