Project Director

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Seeking Talent for Polypore International, Daramic, Celgard & Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Canada

About the Role

We are seeking a Project Director to be a part of a new plant construction based in Port Colborne, Ontario. The primary responsibility of this role is to coordinate and manage the construction of a new plant. The incumbent will work closely with the Company's team from Japan and engineering departments regarding plant design, construction and handover to the operations team.

Reporting Relationships

This position directly reports to the VP of Project Management and will have direct supervision responsibility for the local construction team. The incumbent will work very closely with the Hipore global Construction leader.

Key Accountabilities

• Responsible for the leadership of the equipment design team to ensure delivery and installation of all owner-supplied equipment.
• Take charge of the detailed design phase for construction projects, ensuring design accuracy and feasibility.
• Oversee the execution of construction plans to align with detailed design specifications.
• Collaborate with architects, engineers, and construction personnel to refine design details and resolve any emerging issues during execution.
• Ensure that construction projects are completed according to detailed designs, on time, and within budget constraints.
• Participate in the role development and recruiting for local construction engineering team.
• Communicate with various stakeholders regarding project needs, goals, and progress.
• Track project progress and report/present on it regularly.
• Manage risks associated with the project, assisting in critical decisions related to budget adjustments and resource allocation.
• Monitor project finances, ensuring that the project stays within budget.
• Ensure that each phase of the project starts and ends on schedule.
• Accurately understand the status of daily construction projects (progress, quality, budget), identify issues in advance or at an early stage, discuss and coordinate with relevant parties, and formulate and implement countermeasures.
• Quickly formulate and implement countermeasures in the event of a problem, while discussing and coordinating with relevant parties.
• Accurately understand the intentions of the owner and negotiate with relevant parties.

Qualifications

Education Background: Degree in mechanical, electrical, civil or architectural engineering discipline is required. Master's degree is preferred. PMP certification is desired.

Knowledge & Experience: 7+ years of experience in construction project management is required. Previous experience in supervising project teams and project engineers is required. Must have previous experience leading others in construction of two or more green or brown field manufacturing sites. Must have proficiency in Microsoft Office and project management software.

Key Attributes:

• Must possess strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills with ability to communicate effectively to diverse audiences across all levels of the organization is required.

Must be open-minded, able to adapt and accustomed to working across cultures. Delegates appropriately, setting clear expectations and holding team accountable. Must have process-driven logical thinking and planning skills.

Travel: Must be able and willing to travel up to 25% domestically and abroad for training and visiting other company locations.

Schedule: Must be able and willing to work a flexible schedule for emergencies and to attend in-person meetings and conference calls outside of normal business hours. The incumbent can flex working hours to accommodate.

This position will be based in a temporary office on or near a construction site until the permanent office is built in 2026. The final work environment will be at a 24/7 manufacturing operation. This position is in support of manufacturing and requires working in a production environment around chemicals. The manufacturing facility will be a state of the art in terms of automation and being temperature and humidity controlled. This will be a clean and comfortable environment due to the nature of the products being produced.

Work will require standing and walking for up to 80% of the time. Lighting and temperature are controlled and adequate. You may be required to lift up to 35 pounds and/or apply force necessary to push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Location Information

Port Colborne, Ontario is a charming harbour town situated in the Niagara Region on the coast of Lake Erie. The Niagara Region is made up of 12 municipalities and has a population of approximately 478,000. It is an international trade hub with industry ranging from agriculture, construction, manufacturing, technology, tourism, transportation and warehousing. There are two regional airports, easy access to four international airports, railway, and other public transportation. It is home to Brock University, Niagara College Canada, McMaster University, as well as public and private schools that offer a selection of concentrations. The area offers a safe, affordable lifestyle with a hometown community feel. Recreational attractions include Humberstone Speedway, Niagara Falls, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the Welland Canal, Canada's largest casino, wineries, sporting and entertainment venues for concerts and festivals. Other amenities include the Niagara Health System, a variety in dining, farmer's markets, ample parks, trails and outdoor activities. Within driving distance, the greater Ontario province offers modern cities and countryside that are rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. It is about a 90-minute drive to Mississauga, Toronto, and Brampton.

The base compensation range for this role begins at $135,000. Base Compensation is influenced by many factors including, but not limited to: time in the role, previous experience, skills, knowledge, performance, work requirements, internal equity, and business / economic conditions.

About Us

Hipore, an Asahi Kasei Company, is a pioneer in battery technology and a long-trusted supplier of lithium battery separators, which are polymer-based microporous membranes that are key components of lithium-ion batteries (LIB).

The company's Hipore brand of separators have been commercially available since the lithium battery market's inception in the early 1990s and they are found primarily in electric drive vehicles (EDVs) as well as in consumer electronics (CE) such as smartphones, tablets and personal computers. Hipore membrane separators bring high porosity and excellent energy transfer, while contributing to battery safety and reliability and they are especially well matched for the high-capacity batteries required to power plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and full battery (BEV) vehicles.

Asahi Kasei is accelerating its next phase of global growth with proactive investment and capacity expansion in battery separators to meet increasing demand for electric vehicle applications. Expansions have been announced at existing Asahi Kasei LIB separator facilities in the United States, Japan, and South Korea, with start-up scheduled in succession from the first half of fiscal year 2026. Asahi Kasei will continue investing through new greenfield sites to further build its LIB separator infrastructure for automotive applications to meet growing demand in North America where significant expansion of electric vehicle production is forecasted.

The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. With more than 48,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. We are Creating for Tomorrow

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Project Management and Engineering
• Industries: Plastics Manufacturing

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