Technical Product Manager

Technical Product Manager

ABOUT US:

We design and produce engineered materials that dramatically increase the energy density of rechargeable Li-ion batteries. We enable smaller, lighter, longer lasting electronic devices and unlock mass adoption of affordable, long-range electric vehicles. Our products work today, are a drop-in solution for existing battery manufacturing processes, and can be manufactured economically at scale.

Sila was founded in 2011 and is based in Alameda, CA. Our founders are two early Tesla Motors battery engineers and a Professor of Materials Science at Georgia Tech. We’re backed by top tier venture capital firms, led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Matrix Partners, Sutter Hill Ventures, and In-Q-Tel.

Our company culture is built on personal growth, mutual trust, inclusiveness, and safety. We are building a world-class materials company, where our team is close, debates are data-driven, and our nerdiest office puppies are named Angstrom, Lumen, and Gadget.

We believe that building a diverse team at Sila helps us amplify our individual talents. We are an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating an inclusive environment where good ideas are free to come from anyone. We are proud to celebrate diversity and all qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, national origin, or any other status protected by law.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Investigate and synthesize the needs of customers in target markets through customer and internal discussions, industry reports, announcements, etc. 
• Understand the competitive landscape and where Sila fits in it
• Consolidate a list of all potential technical advances which are being worked on within Sila and create a structure to evaluate which technology should be commercialized and when.
• Create and maintain key elements of Sila's product roadmap, which defines what Sila is aiming for and what products it is developing.
• Identify gaps between what Sila needs to do to be successful in target markets and what Sila is on track to achieve
• Define clear, detailed requirements for products Sila is considering developing
• Prepare other analysis necessary for cross functional decision making on product development, such as business cases.
• Own and drive new product development and introduction, including launch plan, marketing/sales documentation and internal product documentation

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS:

• 2-8 years in the battery group of an automotive or cell phone company or 2-8 years working in engineering at a cell manufacturer
• Knowledge of what matters in deciding on an automotive or cell phone battery cell and/or new battery material (i.e. how are new battery cells/battery materials decided on, who are key stakeholders, what is the decision making process, etc.).  Also understands how decisions are made with regards to space, energy available, cost and other considerations related to batteries (i.e. who makes them, when, what data factors in, etc.)
• Knows how to have the right discussions and learn key information to understand customer/market requirements and the competitive landscape.  This especially includes figuring out how to have conversations on future needs with key stakeholders at existing customers/prospects and accessing valuable market sources (i.e. market reports, conferences, consultants, etc.).
• Ideally some product management experience
• Ability to create collaboration, effectively communicate and drive actions from team members outside their organization
• Demonstrated ability of quickly mastering new fields and excited to learn the skills needed to be a great product manager at Sila