Market & Business Development Leader - Energy Storage

Job Family Group: Sales and Business Development Are you ready to do something remarkable? Ready to collaborate with an incredible team to solve problems that improve people’s lives? Meet Ingevity. At Ingevity, we develop innovations that purify, protect and enhance the world around us. Our products enable oil to flow better, crops to grow fuller, roads to last longer and ensure that the air we all breathe is cleaner. Our people come from all different backgrounds and help reimagine new possibilities daily. We understand there is no challenge too big and no contribution too small. We seek out new ideas for tackling complex problems and celebrate achieving the improbable. We value each person’s unique talents and synergize them to create meaningful impact and sustainable solutions for our customers and our world. Bold. Energetic. Ingenious. Genuine. If these qualities describe you, we’d love for you to join Ingevity! Position Overview :   We’re   looking for someone who genuinely enjoys figuring things out - someone who is curious, willing to test ideas, talk to customers early, and help separate the winners from the nice-to-have ideas. This role sits inside our Performance Materials team and will partner directly with a technical lead to take early-stage opportunities from rough concept through the Stage Gate process and toward commercialization   within the rapidly evolving energy   storage   market .   This is a hands-on role, not a desk-only strategy job. You will spend time with customers,   observe   how they work, ask questions, and help us learn quickly what matters and what   doesn’t .   You’ll   also help us make smarter choices about where to invest our time and where to   say   “not worth it , . ”   relying on   your deep   understanding   of   battery market   dynamics,   competitive   positioning,   and   portfolio   value creation .   If you like building something from the ground up, enjoy ambiguity, and   don’t   need every detail perfectly defined before you move   forward,   you’ll   do well here.   This role may be classified at either the Manager or Director level depending on the experience and capability of the selected candidate. The responsibilities below reflect the full scope of the role; some elements may be emphasized more heavily at the Director level.   How   you'll   impact   Ingevity:   Lead the commercial side of early-stage growth opportunities   Oversee the commercial strategy for multiple platforms at once, helping shape where we focus our time and investment across the broader portfolio.   Own the prioritization   of a   portfolio of   emerging   battery   materials   and   technologies,   balancing   technical   readiness ,   strategic   fit, and   commercial potential.   Build a simple, clear commercial picture of each opportunity - who   it’s   for, why it matters, what   they’re   using today, and what would make them switch.   Continuously   assess   the   competitive   landscape ,   adjacent   technologies,   and evolving   customer   requirements .   Work side-by-side with a technical counterpart to make sure   we’re   prioritizing the right technical features, not just the ones that seem interesting internally.   Help guide ideas through Stage Gate by grounding decisions in real customer feedback instead of assumptions.   Help set or refine the criteria we use to greenlight, pause, or stop opportunities, and bring a stronger voice into investment discussions at Stage Gate reviews.   Talk to customers early and often   Get out of the building: talk to potential users, buyers, engineers, and anyone who   touches   or specifies the product.   Turn customer conversations into insights: what they value, what they ignore, what would make or break adoption.   Build early relationships with the kinds of customers who can help us learn quickly.   Shape early strategic marketing work without the jargon   Identify   the most promising segments and applications - not with a huge binder, but with a clear story about who cares and why.   Translate customer needs into value propositions that make sense and can be tested.   Work with   Research   & Technology technical team (R&T) to make sure development lines up with what customers   need , not what we assume   they’ll   want.   Define the long-term platform growth   strategy,   including where each opportunity fits and how we position ourselves across segments.   Support commercialization without overpromising structure   When an idea shows promise, help us define the basics: how it gets positioned, what matters for adoption, and where it logically fits in the value chain.   Help us understand what early trials, specs, or qualifications might look like.   Prepare the opportunity so that, when the time comes, a salesperson can pick it up and run with it.   Lead the early commercialization strategy for one or more platforms, ensuring consistent positioning, pricing logic, and market messaging across related opportunities.   Work across functions like a partner, not a coordinator   Bring customer learning into technical discussions with R&T, Ops, Supply Chain, and others.   Help the team stay honest about what the market cares about vs what we wish the market cared about.   Build trust with technical teams by   showing them   real, practical insights from customers.   What   you'll   need to succeed:   Experience   5-10   years   of   d eep   commercial leadership within the battery or energy storage industry is strongly   preferred,   including   a   robust   understanding of the competitive landscape, key material suppliers, and players across the value chain.   Broad   techno -economic understanding of different battery technologies   and associated applications.   Experience   taking   an idea from concept to something that real customers have seen, handled, reacted to, or tested   preferably in ene