SES AI · 5 days ago
Materials Business Unit Head
Greater Boston
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
10+ years expSES AI Corp. is dedicated to accelerating the world’s energy transition through groundbreaking material discovery and advanced battery management. They are seeking an exceptional Leader to head the global Materials Business Unit, responsible for strategy, P&L, customer development, and product direction while driving growth in next-generation battery materials.
BatteryElectric VehicleEnergy StorageManufacturingRenewable Energy
Responsibilities
Own all Sales and Business Development for Materials BU, including revenue, gross margin, cost structure, and annual operating plan
Develop and execute a 1-3 year strategy covering markets, partners, product priorities, and capacity needs
Build annual/quarterly plans with Finance, Legal, and executive leadership
Lead go-to-market strategy for electrolyte and key battery materials, driving growth with enterprise OEM, Tier-1, and chemical supplier customers
Expand commercial relationships across Japan and Korea, leveraging existing networks and establishing new strategic partnerships
Develop, negotiate, and close major supply, co-development, and licensing agreements
Translate customer requirements into a prioritized materials R&D roadmap that supports SES's ESS and Drone cells
Guide R&D and external partners to improve time-to-qualification and yield
Establish pricing, packaging, commercial models, and contracting frameworks
Create disciplined pipeline management and forecasting processes
Partner with engineering and R&D to streamline technical-to-commercial handoffs
Collaborate with Operations, QA, and EHS across global facilities
Oversee JV performance, governance, budgets, and KPIs
Align S&OP, capacity, supply chain, and materials flow with BU revenue goals
Synchronize Materials BU output with ESS and Drone program milestones
Ensure materials qualification aligns with testing timelines
Build and lead a high-leverage hybrid team
Recruit talent with strong KR/JP chemical/electrolyte industry experience
Foster a culture of energy, humility, learning, and first-principles thinking
Represent SES at conferences and trade shows
Develop external messaging, positioning, and collateral
Qualification
Required
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; Japanese or Korean a plus
Preferred
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
Benefits
Comprehensive health coverage
Attractive equity/stock options program
Company
SES AI
SES AI Corp.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$600.11MKey Investors
Honda MotorHyundai Motor CompanyGeneral Motors
2022-02-04Post Ipo Equity· $275M
2022-02-04IPO
2021-07-05Corporate Round· $100M
Leadership Team
Qichao Hu
Founder & CEO
Kyle Pilkington
Chief Legal Officer
Recent News
2026-01-23
2026-01-17
Washington Technology
2026-01-16
Company data provided by crunchbase