GLOBAL CHIEF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION OFFICER - Advanced Lithium-Based Energy Systems / Battery & Cell industry

Some batteries simply cannot fail. Lead the team that invents the next generation of them.
GLOBAL CHIEF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION OFFICER -
Advanced Lithium-Based Energy Systems / Battery & Cell industry
Confidential Executive Search – based Western Europe or North America
Our client is a long-established global leader in advanced batteries, backed by a major international energy group. With several thousand employees in close to 20 countries, it powers applications where failure is not an option: aerospace, defense, space, rail, telecom and critical infrastructure.
The group is profitable, growing and pursuing major ambitions in high-value battery solutions, including energy storage for data centers and the grid.
It is now appointing a Chief Technology & Innovation Officer to shape what it builds over the next decade.
The role
Reporting to the Group CEO and serving on the Executive Committee, you will lead the group's global technology and innovation organization. Most of its resources are split between France and the United States.
You will own the full technology chain, across every TRL, from early research to products qualified and produced at scale. You will set the strategic vision, mobilize the resources behind it, and see it through to execution.
The challenge is threefold: drive innovation and research; develop next-generation products in step with what the market needs; and accelerate their industrialization and their launch in the group's markets worldwide.
What you will do
Set the direction. Define the technology and innovation roadmap across chemistries and platforms, and decide where to invest, where to partner and what to stop.
Lead the organization. Lead the R&D, cell engineering, materials and technical teams across France and the United States, and attract and develop the talent the next decade will require.
Bridge science and industry. Take technologies from the lab through pilot lines to industrial production, with the safety, reliability and qualification standards critical markets demand.
Align technology with the business. Work with the CEO, the Executive Committee, the business units, operations and sales so that every technology bet serves a market.
Represent the group. Be the group's technology voice with customers, partners, research institutions, the parent group and the board.
What you bring
Deep expertise in chemistry or electrochemistry. A PhD in the field is highly desirable, though not mandatory.
A track record with as preference , cells and batteries for critical, high-value applications such as aerospace, defense, space, rail, marine or medical... a mix of experiences including high-volume consumer or automotive production , is welcome
Proven leadership of international technical organizations, and a history of taking technology from R&D to industrial scale ; meaning the full TRL range
Experience in stationary energy storage (ESS / BESS) is a strong asset, as some platforms will scale toward data centers and the grid.
A sharp, current reading of the global battery landscape across North America, Europe and Asia to feed a clear vision of the future
Executive presence, and the ability to turn complex technical choices into clear decisions for a CEO, a board and customers.
Fluent English is required; French is a plus.
Location and travel
The position is based either in France or on the East Coast of the United States. International travel represents around 20 to 30% of the time.
Uniqueness
Few companies combine a century of electrochemistry, leadership in the most demanding markets, a profitable growth trajectory and the backing of a global energy major.
This role offers the room, the resources and the mandate to set the technology direction of the group.
Some leadership opportunities are about managing technology.
Others are about deciding what comes next.
Let's talk.
This confidential search is conducted by Richard Lombart, The Executive Way. All inquiries are handled in strict confidence.

Work arrangement
Yes