Director - Cathode Active Materials (CAM)

Korea, Republic of - UBM Cheonan
Umicore Battery Materials
Research & Development

Posted on 15-09-2025

About Umicore

Powering the cars of today and tomorrow. Reducing harmful emissions. Giving unique properties to high-end applications. Giving new life to used metals. As a global advanced materials and recycling group, we develop, produce, and recycle materials for a better life.

About Umicore Battery Materials

We are all on the move. Umicore’s rechargeable battery materials give people autonomy and connectivity. We are a pioneer in battery materials that give added range and performance to electric vehicles. Our materials also ensure longer battery life for portable electronics. To enable our customers to produce even better performing batteries we cannot stand still. We need to find new ways to do things, discover new solutions and develop new ideas. Which is where you come in.

What you will be doing

As Director CAM, you will be responsible for driving the development, industrialization, and performance of Cathode Active Materials (CAM) within Umicore Battery Materials in Cheonan, South Korea. You will play a key role in bridging development, process technology, and operations to ensure successful delivery of high-performance materials to our customers.

Responsibilities:

Business & Operational Leadership

• Lead CAM activities across development, scale-up, and industrialization in close collaboration with Process Technology and Operations.
• Drive execution of the CAM roadmap aligned with business priorities and customer requirements.
• Ensure efficient use of resources and alignment of priorities across functions.

Project & Portfolio Execution

• Deliver key CAM programs (High-Ni, Medium-Ni HV, HLM, CAM-SSB) from development through industrial implementation.
• Ensure robust product and process readiness for customer qualification and mass production.
• Apply structured development methodologies (e.g., DOE, FMEA) and ensure adherence to quality standards (e.g., VDA6.3).

Customer & Stakeholder Management

• Act as a key interface toward customers (OEMs and cell makers) on CAM performance and development topics.
• Collaborate closely with Commercial, Process Technology, and Operations to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Support technical discussions and align on product specifications, performance, and timelines.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement of CAM products and processes to enhance performance, cost, and manufacturability.
• Contribute to innovation pipelines and support IP development in collaboration with relevant teams.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop a high-performing, multidisciplinary team within a global organization.
• Foster a culture of accountability, courage collaboration, enterprise leadership and continuous learning.
• Build strong succession pipelines and develop critical capabilities within the team.

Who we are looking for

Requirements:

• 15+ years of experience in battery materials, chemicals, or automotive-related industries.
• Strong experience in CAM or lithium-ion battery materials development and/or industrialization.
• Proven track record in managing complex technical programs with OEMs or Tier 1 customers.
• Experience in scaling products from development to industrial production.
• Solid understanding of product and process development methodologies (e.g., DOE, FMEA).
• Fluent in English; knowledge of Korean, Chinese, or Japanese is a plus.

Competencies:

• Strong leadership and people development capabilities.
• Excellent stakeholder and customer management skills.
• Results-driven with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Ability to operate effectively in a cross-functional environment.
• Strategic thinking combined with hands-on execution.

What we offer

We aim to lead the way. Not just for our customers, but for our employees too. That is why we strive to create a collaborative environment in which we can all succeed, and a culture through which we can all share ideas, develop our expertise and advance our careers. We engage in building an inclusive work culture that offers equal opportunities for all employees irrespective of their diverse backgrounds. As you would expect from a world-leading organisation, we will also reward your contribution with a competitive salary and benefits. With all this and more, imagine what you could do?

If our battery materials can power electric vehicles, IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD DO?