Chief Technology Officer of Nidec Energy AS (Joint Venture Nidec & FREYR Battery)

On 30th August 2022, Nidec Corporation, the world’s largest small precision motor manufacturer in the automotive, industrial, and appliance sectors, signed a joint venture agreement with FREYR Battery Norway, a Norwegian company with innovative semi-solid lithium-ion battery manufacturing technology.

The objective of the alliance is to create a global leading provider of utility-scale battery energy storage products utilizing both companies' strengths to bring cutting-edge technology to the market.

The joint venture will start mass production in 2025, and targets to manufacture more than 8GWh/year of battery modules and packs from 2027, growing to 12GWh/year in 2030. Furthermore, the joint venture is expected to have invested more than $110 million by 2030 and to hire more than 300 employees by then.

The joint venture company’s shareholders will be Nidec 66.7% and FREYR 33.3%, while the headquarters will be based in Oslo, Norway.

Join the team and be part of shaping the future success of this exciting venture as our

Chief Technology Officer

Reporting to our CEO you will be given the trust to build, lead and manage the engineering department to support the achievement of business goals: including the fostering of innovation, the development, testing, certification, commercialization, deployment of new technologies, and the prioritization of engineering initiatives.

You will be responsible for developing and implementing the company’s technical vision, strategy and technology roadmap while ensuring alignment with the overall business goals. This notably includes the definition, development and execution of the product development plan on time and on the budget to support the Joint Venture’s business plan.

The role of the Chief Technology Officer is a collaborative one: you will work with the business’s executive team in developing and communicating top-level goals across the business and will play the role of a trusted advisor for other executives and key stakeholders in matters of technological nature.

Selections of your work tasks:

• Develop and lead the strategy for the JV key technology partnerships, and external relationships including third-party laboratories involved in testing and certification activities.
• Build technology and engineering teams to execute the technology and product development plans.
• Define and operate a detailed product development plan in line with the JV Initial Business Plan. Ensure product development, testing, certification and validation on time for the JV Start Of Production, ensuring the products satisfy customer’s requirements while meeting industry standards and applicable regulations.
• Identify, compare, select, and implement battery technology solutions to meet current and future needs. Keep abreast of new trends and best practices in the battery technology landscape.
• Develop, track, and control the development of annual operating and capital R&D budgets.
• Create overall technology standards and practices and ensure adherence.
• Track, analyze, and monitor performance metrics of engineering and product development activities.
• Lead the R&D efforts to develop new lithium-ion-based energy storage technologies and improve existing ones, with a focus on cost, performance, and reliability.

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree in engineering or a related field.
• Proven experience as a CTO and in managing product development activities and teams.
• Good knowledge and strong experience in the field of battery products/systems technologies, and battery energy storage applications.
• Experience in start-up / high-growth environments is a plus.
• Fluency in English in word and writing is an absolute must, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish language in addition is a plus.

As a person, you have exceptional project management and organization skills and solid knowledge of technological trends to build strategy. You have clear business acumen and are able to demonstrate strong leadership and empower your team members. You have demonstrated the ability to motivate and manage cross-functional teams through good interpersonal and communication skills.

You have demonstrated the ability to work in an international and multicultural environment, you pay attention to details, and are process mindset oriented.

The perpetual protection of the environment is an important issue for all mankind. Nidec is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and its customers’ environmental footprint by designing, manufacturing, and delivering its products and solutions with this in mind in order to meet our social responsibilities.

With us, you will learn a lot and a lot will be expected of you.

We aim to pick high performers that will slot in immediately. Along the way, we cheer for you, help you when needed, and share the joy when you succeed.

- Let's make history together!