Director of Electrode & Cell Battery Manufacturing at NextStar Energy – Windsor, Ontario

This posting reflects a current vacancy

NextStar Energy (NSE) is Canada’s first large-scale battery manufacturing facility. Located in Windsor, Ontario, NextStar Energy is dedicated to the development and innovation of sustainable and efficient energy solutions, empowering the future of mobility.

At NextStar Energy, you’ll join a team where innovation, collaboration, and personal growth are at the heart of everything we do. We offer competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a strong focus on employee well-being. We provide customized training programs and select global learning opportunities to support your professional development and career growth. Your contributions are valued, and we are building a company-wide rewards program to recognize them. Our leaders foster a supportive and trusting environment where your voice is heard. Together, we are shaping the future of sustainable energy.

We are seeking an influential, visionary, and execution‑driven leader to serve as our Director of Electrode & Cell Battery Manufacturing. This leader will oversee end-to-end electrode and cell production operations, ensuring world-class safety, quality, productivity, and technology implementation across a rapidly scaling manufacturing environment. The ideal candidate brings deep technical knowledge, a proven ability to lead large, diverse teams, and the strategic acumen to guide our organization through fast-paced growth and continuous innovation.

The Director of Electrode and Cell Production is accountable for cultivating a safe, productive, and inclusive organizational culture that motivates employees, strengthens operational excellence, and enhances corporate leadership. This role integrates production execution, continuous improvement, external affairs, corporate services, EH&S, and employee/labor relations into a cohesive operating model.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the strategic roadmap for electrode and cell manufacturing to meet company production, yield, and cost targets.
• Provide influential leadership that inspires high performance, operational discipline, and a culture of accountability across all shifts and functions.
• Partner with Technology teams, Supply Chain, and Quality to drive results.
• Lead production operations to deliver planned output safely, on time, within cost targets, and to world-class quality standards in a fast-paced 24-7 manufacturing environment.
• Agility and presence on the manufacturing shop floor which spans all processes from electrode mixing to cell assembly.
• Establish, track, and communicate meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Yield, and Equipment Effectiveness.
• Report and present performance status, risks, and improvement plans.
• Drive continuous improvement through Lean Six Sigma methodologies, including regular process audits, control reviews, and root cause analyses.
• Optimize production processes by eliminating waste, reducing constraints, and improving workflow efficiency.
• Ensure effective management of consumables, spare parts, maintenance activities, and repair costs.
• Leads the application of 3R5Sworkplace standards across all production areas, clean room areas and holds a high standard of factory cleanliness.
• Lead Total Productive Maintenance efforts and assume accountability for area equipment.
• Champion of Quality standards at the highest level including IATF.
• Drive a strong safety culture that actively engages employees according to the EH&S standards and policies.
• Adhere to and lead best practices in process safety management principles and occupational health & safety requirements.
• Foster open communication and collaborative labor-management relationships to minimize disruptions and enhance engagement.
• Ensure alignment of labor relations strategies with broader business and operational objectives.
• Serve as a core contributor to the execution of employee relations strategies, processes, and outcomes.
• Lead workforce planning to ensure top talent hiring, onboarding, development, evaluation, promotion for both hourly and salary teams.
• Coach, mentor, and develop leaders at all levels.
• Build a culture that encourages accountability, initiative, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field required.
• MBA or Master’s degree preferred, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 10–15+ years of progressive operations or production management experience in a manufacturing environment, including global or multi-site operations.
• 7–10+ years of experience leading and managing multiple production processes or departments in a 24-7 manufacturing operation, preferably within battery or advanced energy manufacturing.
• Prior experience leading large-scale unionized hourly manufacturing organizations.
• Technical maintenance and production planning experience.
• Experience working in global manufacturing organizations, collaborating across cultures, time zones, and regions.
• Battery manufacturing experience (electrode, cell, module, or pack)strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated cultural intelligence and emotional intelligence, with the ability to lead, influence, and build trust across diverse global teams.

Skills & Competencies

• Experience in the automotive, energy, or advanced manufacturing industry, including chemical manufacturing, with a solid understanding of highly automated production processes.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence across all organizational levels and geographies.
• Proven leadership, coaching, and people development capabilities.
• Strong analytical skills with a deep understanding of operational metrics and performance drivers.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and decisive, with the ability to perform under pressure and tight timelines.
• Able to handle high-stress, fast-paced environments and make timely, data-driven decisions.
• Ability to work flexible hours as needed to support production teams in a 24-7 operation as well as global stakeholders.

Work Environment

• Must be able to work in a manufacturing environment including low humidity conditions down to 1%.
• Must be able to work in a clean room environment in full clean room PPE.
• Some international travel is required, including extended periods of time.
• Physical aspects include fast-paced movement throughout the site and long-term standing.
• High-paced, 24-7 manufacturing environment including chemical processing.

NextStar Energy (NSE) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. It is NSE’s philosophy and policy that any unlawful discrimination against any team member or applicant based on citizenship, race, place of origin, ethnic origin, color, ancestry, disability, age, creed, sex/pregnancy, family status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, record of offences or other protected classification will not be allowed or tolerated.