Open Innovation Manager (Battery and Recycling)

Belgium, Olen
New Business Incubation
Research & Development

About Umicore

Reducing harmful vehicle emissions. Giving new life to used metals. Powering the cars of the future. As a global materials and technology group, we apply our specialist knowledge to offer materials and solutions that are essential to everyday life. We aim to be a clear world leader in materials for clean mobility and recycling and have turned our sustainability approach into an even greater competitive advantage. With ambitions like this, imagine what you could do?

About New Business Incubator (NBI)

The CTO organization is structured around two pillars: Corporate Research & Development (CRD) and New Business Incubation (NBI). NBI is a newly-created unit that will lead Umicore efforts to identify and incubate next generation disruptive technologies with the aim of creating new business opportunities. CRD and NBI will, in close collaboration with the business units, cover Umicore technology innovation roadmap for the short, medium and long term.

What you will be doing

As Open Innovation Manager your main role is to build-up and maintain R&D network in Europe region, for accelerating innovation activities in New Business Incubation by open innovation (external collaborations).

• As part the open innovation team, you will set-up external R&D projects in the field of battery materials and metal recycling technologies, including the definition of the technical program in collaboration with the internal project owner, for R&D academic collaborations and joint-development with customers, or other material suppliers. You can also be directly involved in internal technology development projects.
• You follow-up and report (internally & externally) on the execution of the external projects and you regularly align with the internal R&D project owners and strategy and the global Head of Open Innovation.
• You will keep yourself aware of the latest relevant technological information in identified sectors through literature & patent reviews, participation to conferences and visits of universities and research institutes. You identify and make recommendations on potential collaboration projects or participation to funded projects.

The geographical area of these activities is the Europe region. The position will be located in Olen, Belgium.

Who we are looking for

• You have a PhD in materials science, solid-state chemistry/physics, electrochemistry or chemical engineering (or equivalent through experience).
• Industrial experience is required.
• Good fundamental knowledge of inorganic materials and its processing in at least one of the following areas is mandatory:
  • Lithium-ion battery materials
  • Metallurgic materials and processes
  • Metal refining
  • Metal recycling processes and flows
• You have basic understanding of R&D collaborative projects set-up
• Project management skills and change management skills are required.
• Fluency in both oral and written English is a must.
• You are an excellent communicator, with good presentation and networking skills.
• Analytical ability for numerical data, good problem-solving ability and strong will to share knowledge and expertise with others.
• You can work on your own under general direction, have a good sense of prioritization of assigned goals and manage time accordingly. You excellent reporting skills.
• You are willing to travel (mainly inside Europe).

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 my pioneering research can drive our progress in clean mobility, IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD DO?