Project Manager — Production Expansion

About TRION Battery Technologies

TRION Battery Technologies is a premium lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery manufacturer headquartered in Dresden, Germany, with operations in North America. TRION’s proprietary cell-to-pack manufacturing process produces the T-Rex battery range — the only European-manufactured dual-purpose (start + deep cycle) LFP battery in its class. With peak discharge of 1,200A, IP67 rating, CE and UN 38.3 certifications, and 4,500+ full-depth cycles, TRION batteries serve marine, commercial vehicle, RV, and emerging defence and data-centre markets. The company is currently executing a 4-Pillar Recovery Plan (People · Product · Sales · Plant) to reach €2M monthly revenue run-rate by mid-2026.

Role Overview

The Project Manager is a senior delivery role created to drive TRION’s capital-investment programme and the operational scale-up of the Dresden plant. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Project Manager will own the planning, execution and on-time, on-budget delivery of the CAPEX projects that underpin TRION’s ramp to commercial volumes — primarily the EFA cell-line scale-up and supporting pack-assembly automation — and will work alongside the Head of Manufacturing & Product to lift production throughput across the existing lines. The role will also support strategic sourcing decisions for capital equipment and critical production inputs.

Reporting & Structure

• Reports to: Chief Operating Officer.
• Works closely with: Head of Manufacturing & Product, GM Germany, CFO / Accountant (for CAPEX tracking), equipment vendors and integration partners.
• No direct reports at hire; will lead cross-functional project teams and may build out a small PMO as the CAPEX programme grows.
• Location: near Dresden, on-site, with travel to equipment suppliers and integration partners as required.

Key Responsibilities

CAPEX Programme Delivery

• Own end-to-end delivery of the CAPEX scale-up programme: scope, schedule, budget, risk and quality of the EFA cell-line expansion and supporting automation projects.
• Build and maintain integrated project plans (scope, milestones, dependencies, resource needs) and report progress to the COO, GM and Board on an agreed cadence.
• Manage equipment vendors, integrators and contractors through specification, FAT, SAT, installation, commissioning and qualification.
• Own the project budget against the approved CAPEX envelope; control change orders and variations and work with the Accountant / CFO to maintain accurate cost-to-complete reporting.
• Identify and manage project risk; escalate issues early with clear options and recommendations.

Production Throughput Improvement

• Partner with the Head of Manufacturing & Product to identify and remove throughput constraints on existing production lines (OEE, yield, cycle time, changeover, MTBF / MTTR).
• Lead structured improvement initiatives (line balancing, automation upgrades, debottlenecking, layout changes) with clear business cases and measured outcomes.
• Support readiness for ramp: ensure the operational, quality and supply-chain pre-conditions are in place to take new capacity to full production.

Strategic Sourcing Support

• Support the GM Germany and COO on strategic sourcing of capital equipment, automation systems and critical production inputs.
• Build and run structured supplier evaluations (technical, commercial, lead-time, risk) and lead negotiations on capital equipment packages where required.
• Help develop a dual-source / supply-resilience strategy for critical components.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• Engineering degree (mechanical, electrical, mechatronics, automation, chemical or equivalent).
• 7–12+ years of project delivery experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least one fully owned CAPEX project in the automation space delivered on-time and on-budget.
• Hands-on experience across the full CAPEX lifecycle: specification, vendor selection, FAT / SAT, installation, commissioning, qualification and hand-over to operations.
• Strong commercial judgement — comfortable negotiating with equipment vendors and managing multi-million-Euro budgets.
• Experienced with architects, structural engineers and government bodies for completed execution of large scale construction projects
• Excellent stakeholder management; able to operate credibly with shop-floor teams, executive leadership and external partners.
• Fluent in English; working German required (or willingness to reach business level within 12 months).
• On-site in Dresden.

Preferred

• Experience in battery, electrochemical, semiconductor, automotive tier-1 or comparable high-precision automated manufacturing.
• Formal project-management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, IPMA) and/or Lean / Six Sigma credentials.
• Experience supporting strategic sourcing or capital-equipment procurement programmes.
• Familiarity with German grant / subsidy frameworks (SAB, KfW) supporting CAPEX investment.

Key Performance Indicators

• CAPEX On-Time Delivery: % of CAPEX project milestones delivered on or ahead of approved schedule.
• CAPEX Budget Discipline: Actual project spend within ±5% of approved budget; change orders documented and approved.
• Throughput Improvement: Measured uplift in line throughput (units / hour or % OEE) vs. baseline.
• Equipment Commissioning: FAT / SAT and qualification completed within plan; ramp curves achieved post-handover.
• Strategic Sourcing Outcomes: Sourcing initiatives delivered against documented savings, lead-time and risk-reduction targets.
• Risk & Issue Management: Project risks identified and mitigated proactively; no unmitigated red risks at Board review.

Compensation

€125k base, plus an appropriate performance incentive structure linked to CAPEX delivery and throughput KPIs.