Director & GM, Automotive & Industrial Batteries

Job Description As the energy transition drives electrification in the automotive and other transportation industries and the surging demand for battery energy storage systems (BESS), UL Solutions has opened the doors of its North America Advanced Battery Laboratory in the Auburn Hills Oakland Technology Park complex, near one of the world’s largest automotive hubs — Detroit, Michigan.

At this facility, UL Solutions experts use cutting-edge battery testing equipment and methodologies to deliver comprehensive safety testing and performance services for the EV and Industrial batteries markets — all under one roof.

We are in search of a Director & GM, Automotive & Industrial Batteries to lead the operations of our largest battery lab in North America.

Responsibilities

• Manage Local Operations
• Directly Manage Engineering, Laboratory, and Sales
• Have Full P&L Responsibility of Industrial and Automotive Battery Business in North America
• Develop, execute, and implement operational strategy to drive organic/inorganic growth and profitability within the assigned region while ensuring customer satisfaction through a deep understanding of the customer and market intelligence
• Responsible for P&L activities and budget development for the assigned region. Manages annual, quarterly, monthly and weekly budget breakdowns ensuring financial targets (revenue, profit, enterprise value, etc.) are met
• Responsible for managing costs, reporting, and forecasting, workflow overviews and providing input into growth targets for customers in collaboration with sub-segment leaders.
• Closely monitors and manages regional revenue from engineering activities, including unbilled, aging and inactive projects, work on hand analysis to ensure balance of demand and throughput.
• Drives and leads initiatives in collaboration with Product Management to identify new and/or additional business opportunities. Anticipates customer needs by creating strong partnerships with Sales and Product Management. Provides proactive solutions for new business opportunities to secure revenue, profit margin, market share and customer satisfaction. Builds customer intimacy and establishes strong relationships through customer visits, analyzing business data and market trends. Participate in client seminars, conferences, and trade shows.
• Implements and executes capacity and capability strategies for the assigned region. Reviews project status, project management, ensures operational delivery, and closes any gaps in collaboration with sub-segment leaders for the assigned region. Successfully translate customer needs into an operational plan to fulfill projects with the right resources (availability, skillset).
• Drives a high performing team by collaborating with sub-segment leaders in managing the performance and development of team members. Operates effectively in the UL matrix to actively support and drive high performance culture changes, transformation efforts and people engagement. Holds team and self-accountable for results, defines accountabilities and establishes performance objectives and metrics to execute strategy. Develops and coaches by providing, training, career counseling, feedback, guidance to drive high performance and morale. Ensures understanding of and compliance with all established policies and requirements.
• Communicates and exemplifies UL’s Vision and Mission. Leads, promotes and embraces change for self and team.
• Collaborates and builds trust within the organization and with customers to meet or exceed their expectations. Develops strong, flexible cross-functional networks and global relationships to promote becoming the fastest, highest quality and most customer-friendly organization. Coaches and mentors employees to do the same.
• Performs other duties as directed

Qualifications

• University degree (equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree) in Business Administration, Management, Engineering or related field
• !0 years directly related experience, including at least five years of relevant management/leadership experience.
• Direct experience in automotive operations leadership; automotive and/or industrial batteries; automotive test experience preferred
• Solid experience as lead or participant in cross-functional or global projects, or worked in multiple functions or regions. Lean Sigma Green Belt or Lean Leadership Training, Gage R&R experience or equivalent preferred.
• Demonstrates an advanced understanding of how decisions impact business results, management concepts such as effectively building a diverse team and planning and thinking strategically.
• Demonstrates the ability to manage employee performance through development of performance expectations and goals, managing employee relations issues, identifying and addressing training needs, planning and executing against required staffing levels and assisting in operational planning.
• Demonstrates the ability to effectively manage employees and other team leads in a technical arena and to lead a Lean Sigma organization within a highly matrixed environment
• Demonstrates the ability to make the complex simple and present information in a concise, relevant and powerful manner.
• Demonstrates the ability to analyze and interpret a wide variety of materials including analyses, data, financial reports and/or legal documents.
• Demonstrates the ability to take calculated risks and plan for contingencies.
• Demonstrates the ability to listen, learn and teach.
• Demonstrates the ability to work in and understand diverse cultural environments.
• Demonstrates customer collaboration, project management and business acumen skills.

About Us

A global leader in applied safety science, UL Solutions (NYSE: ULS) transforms safety, security and sustainability challenges into opportunities for customers in more than 110 countries. UL Solutions delivers testing, inspection and certification services, together with software products and advisory offerings, that support our customers’ product innovation and business growth. The UL Mark serves as a recognized symbol of trust in our customers’ products and reflects an unwavering commitment to advancing our safety mission. We help our customers innovate, launch new products and services, navigate global markets and complex supply chains, and grow sustainably and responsibly into the future. Our science is your advantage.

About The Team

Within our Energy and Industrial Automation (EIA), we provide solutions for safety, security, and performance throughout the energy, power distribution and, automation value chains. We work in a diversity of cutting-edge industries, such as: Power and Automation, Renewable Energy, Field Evaluation Services and Industrial Functional Safety. The impact of our work spreads through many business areas on a global scale yet focused locally through our collaborative team members.