Materials Business Unit Head

Greater Boston (Woburn, MA) – On-site/Hybrid. Posted 9 months ago

The role

The Materials Business Unit Head will own strategy, P&L, customer development, product direction, and cross-functional execution. This role involves scaling commercial electrolyte and materials programs for ESS and Drone platforms.

What you will do

Own all Sales and Business Development for Materials BU
Develop and execute a 1-3 year strategy covering markets, partners, product priorities, and capacity needs
Lead go-to-market strategy for electrolyte and key battery materials
Expand commercial relationships across Japan and Korea
Develop, negotiate, and close major supply, co-development, and licensing agreements
Translate customer requirements into a prioritized materials R&D roadmap
Guide R&D and external partners to improve time-to-qualification and yield
Establish pricing, packaging, commercial models, and contracting frameworks
Oversee JV performance, governance, budgets, and KPIs
Build and lead a high-leverage hybrid team

Required qualifications

10-20+ years in materials, chemicals, battery supply chain, electrolytes, or adjacent industries
Strong BD and deal-making track record with OEMs, Tier-1s, or chemical companies
Experience in Japan/Korea markets
Demonstrated P&L ownership
Hands-on, first-principles thinker with customer and factory-floor experience
Product/tech-driven environment experience
Excellent English

Nice to have

Strong Japan/Korea industry networks in the chemical/electrolyte ecosystem
Experience negotiating and closing major supply, co-development, and licensing agreements for electrolyte and battery materials
Experience operating globally across the U.S., Asia, and the EU, including JV governance and performance management
Japanese or Korean

Benefits

Highly competitive salary
Robust benefits package
Comprehensive health coverage
Attractive equity/stock options program

About the company

SES AI Corp. (NYSE: SES) is dedicated to accelerating the world’s energy transition through groundbreaking material discovery and advanced battery management. The company utilizes AI-enhanced, high-energy-density and high-power-density Li-Metal and Li-ion batteries.