Project Manager — Production Expansion

Overview

Project Manager — Production Expansion Jobs in Greater Dresden Area at TRION Battery Germany

Title: Project Manager — Production Expansion

Company: TRION Battery Germany

Location: Greater Dresden Area

This is the English version of the job post "Projekt Manager (m/w/d) — Erweiterung Produktion // Project Manager — Production Expansion". Please only submit your application to either the German or the English job post. All applicants will be reviewed.

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.

The preferred candidate is an engineer who has personally led capital projects in an automation-intensive manufacturing environment and who is equally comfortable on the shop floor, in the equipment supplier review, and in front of the Board with a budget and a Gantt chart.

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

1. CAPEX On-Time Delivery: % of CAPEX project milestones delivered on or ahead of approved schedule.
2. CAPEX Budget Discipline: Actual project spend within ±5% of approved budget; change orders documented and approved.
3. Throughput Improvement: Measured uplift in line throughput (units / hour or % OEE) vs. baseline.
4. Equipment Commissioning: FAT / SAT and qualification completed within plan; ramp curves achieved post-handover.
5. Strategic Sourcing Outcomes: Sourcing initiatives delivered against documented savings, lead-time and risk-reduction targets.
6. 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.