Head Of Manufacturing Engineering

About Ensurge Micropower

Ensurge Micropower (OSE: ENSU) is a pioneer in solid-state microbattery technology, enabling the next generation of intelligent, connected devices. Leveraging proprietary thin-film and roll-to-roll manufacturing, Ensurge delivers safe, high energy-density batteries for applications in wearables, health tech, industrial sensing, and defense. With headquarters in San Jose and a global footprint spanning the U.S. and Europe, Ensurge is redefining what is possible in powering AI at the edge.

Ensurge solid-state microbatteries offer multiple times the energy density and charge cycles of lithium-ion alternatives. Our platform enables a wide range of battery shapes and form factors, unlocking new product designs and previously impossible applications

Join our team of battery innovators in a dynamic, supportive start-up environment to enable the next generation of hearables, wearables, and IoT-connected sensors with Ensurge's groundbreaking solid-state microbatteries.

Role Overview

Ensurge is seeking a Head of Manufacturing Engineering to lead the industrialization and transfer of breakthrough solid-state battery technology into scalable manufacturing.

This role is the critical interface between Technology and Manufacturing - responsible for ensuring that processes developed in R&D are designed for manufacturability, robustness, yield, and scale as products progress through key roadmap milestones (POC → EVT → DVT → Pilot → Volume). Reporting to the COO, this leader will own process definition, equipment readiness, documentation, and manufacturing handoff, enabling Ensurge to transition from innovation-driven development to repeatable, high-confidence execution.

This is a builder role - hands-on, highly cross-functional, and central to Ensurge's ability to commercialize with confidence. As Ensurge's products mature, disciplined manufacturing execution becomes the differentiator.

Key Responsibilities

Technology → Manufacturing Process Transfer

• Own the end-to-end process transfer from Technology/R&D into Manufacturing
• Define clear phase-gate criteria for readiness at each product and process milestone
• Translate experimental processes into manufacturable, repeatable, and controlled flows
• Ensure Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Scale principles are embedded early

Process Engineering & Industrialization

• Establish and maintain best-known methods, critical process parameters (CPPs), and control plans
• Lead process characterization, capability development (Cp/Cpk), and yield ramp
• Drive standardization across 75 µm and 10 µm platforms while enabling future variants
• Partner with Quality to embed process control, SPC, and change management discipline

Equipment & Manufacturing Readiness

• Partner with Equipment Engineering to define process-driven equipment requirements
• Lead equipment qualification, process acceptance, and handoff to operations
• Define process windows, tool-to-tool matching strategies, and uptime requirements
• Ensure equipment design supports throughput, reliability, and maintainability

Cross-Functional Leadership & Alignment

• Act as the primary integration point between Technology, Manufacturing, Quality, and Operations
• Resolve ownership gaps between "who develops" and "who runs" the process
• Enable Manufacturing teams with clear documentation, training, and escalation paths
• Support Operations in the daily execution once processes are released

Scaling Strategy & Roadmap Execution

• Build the manufacturing engineering roadmap aligned to Ensurge's product and customer milestones
• Support pilot line scale-up, sampling, and customer shipments with disciplined execution
• Identify process risks early and drive mitigation plans before they impact delivery
• Provide leadership-level visibility into readiness, gaps, and trade-offs

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build and lead a high-performing Manufacturing Engineering team
• Define roles, ownership, and interfaces across process, equipment, and quality engineering
• Establish a culture of rigor, learning, and accountability
• Mentor engineers to think beyond experimentation toward industrial systems

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience leading manufacturing engineering and process transfer in advanced manufacturing environments (semiconductor, battery, thin-film, electronics, or similar)
• Demonstrated success moving technology from R&D into stable production
• Strong grounding in process development, equipment integration, and yield improvement
• Experience operating within phase-gate product development frameworks.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity while bringing structure and discipline
• Minimum Bachelor's degree in relevant engineering discipline(s)
• Located in, or willing to regularly work on-site in, the San Jose area

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scaling pilot manufacturing into higher-volume production
• Familiarity with roll-to-roll processing, thin films, vacuum deposition, or semiconductor-style fabs
• Experience working closely with R&D organizations and translating research into production
• Background integrating quality systems, SPC, and documentation into daily operations
• Advanced degree(s) (MS/PhD) in Engineering or equivalent practical experience

Personal Attributes

• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, scaling environment with high visibility
• Strong systems thinker who balances technical depth with operational pragmatism
• Builder mindset - thrives on turning ideas into working production systems
• Collaborative, low-ego leader who earns trust across functions
• Disciplined, curious, and relentless about continuous improvement