Our Client (Confidential Deep-Tech Innovator)
Our client is a highly disruptive deep-tech start-up operating at the forefront of the green energy transition and advanced materials science. Positioned strategically between their Seed and Series A funding rounds, they have validated their proprietary technology and secured significant capital to move into rapid industrialization. They are backed by top-tier European venture capital and industry leaders. This is a rare opportunity to join a mission-critical leadership team tasked with scaling an innovation from the lab bench to a global manufacturing footprint. The culture is fast-paced, pioneering, and intensely focused on environmental impact.
The Role
We are looking to recruit an exceptional and entrepreneurial Director of Industrialization to lead our client's transition to mass production. This is a foundational C-suite track leadership role responsible for taking the core technology and building the entire manufacturing system around it. The successful candidate will design, plan, and commission the company’s first large-scale, automated production site—a project destined to become a Gigafactory-level operation. You will report directly to the CEO and be entrusted with turning strategic vision into physical, operational reality.
Tasks & Responsibilities
- Greenfield Facility Development: Take ownership of the full lifecycle of complex manufacturing facility construction, including site selection, vendor negotiation, defining equipment specifications, and managing global EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) firms to deliver a world-class production site;
- Strategic Industrial Roadmap: Architect and lead the comprehensive industrialization strategy, ensuring seamless technology transfer from R&D to manufacturing while optimizing for cost, efficiency, and scale;
- Process Excellence & Automation: Implement robust manufacturing engineering standards, process control systems, and advanced automation to ensure high yield, quality, and cost-effectiveness at massive scale;
- CapEx & Budget Management: Develop, defend, and execute multi-million euro capital expenditure budgets for the industrialization phase;
- Team Building: Recruit, mentor, and lead high-performing teams across manufacturing engineering, operations, and supply chain readiness;
- Global Expansion Scouting: Evaluate and prepare business cases for future international production hubs, with a particular focus on operational optimization.
Your Profile
Essential Candidate Criteria
- Scale-Up Leadership: Proven executive-level experience (10+ years) in manufacturing, engineering, or operations within a fast-moving start-up or scale-up environment (e.g., transitioning from Seed/Series A to Series B/C scale);
- Gigafactory/Greenfield Expertise: Mandatory, demonstrable experience in the successful planning, construction, and commissioning of large-scale, complex manufacturing facilities from a greenfield/zero base (ideally Gigafactories or similar high-volume advanced processing plants);
- Technical Domain: Strong technical foundation in an industry relevant to green energy (e.g., advanced battery technology, hydrogen systems, complex chemical processing, or advanced clean tech materials);
- EU Residency: Candidates must currently reside within the European Union and hold permanent residency status in an EU member state.
Highly Advantageous Qualifications
- Previous experience operating within the Middle East region, including establishing supply chains, local partnerships, or operational facilities;
- A strong professional network within the global green energy manufacturing space.