About Umicore
Powering the cars of today and tomorrow. Reducing harmful emissions. Giving unique properties to high-end applications. Giving new life to used metals. As a global advanced materials and recycling group, we develop, produce, and recycle materials for a better life.
About Battery Cathode Materials
We are all on the move. Umicore’s rechargeable battery materials give people autonomy and connectivity. We are a pioneer in battery materials that give added range and performance to electric vehicles. Our materials also ensure longer battery life for portable electronics. To enable our customers to produce even better performing batteries we cannot stand still. We need to find new ways to do things, discover new solutions and develop new ideas. Which is where you come in.
Your Key Accountabilities
- Delivers expert work in SC & P Expertise with high quality and timeliness, applying best practices and standards.
- Owns complex tasks in supplier relationship management, negotiation, contracting, producing accurate outputs and identifying risks or anomalies proactively.
- Analyzes problems, recommends options, and implements improvements in methods, tools, or data flows.
- Uses external market insights to inform recommendations, anticipate changes, and support appropriate risk mitigation actions.
- Collaborates with adjacent teams and internal and external stakeholders, communicating insights and recommendations clearly.
- Mentors less experienced colleagues, reviewing deliverables and elevating team standards.
- Coordinates cross‑functional adoption of discipline‑specific enhancements ensuring consistent application and measurable performance gains.
What you will be doing
1. Main responsibilities
- Together with the sales teams, build strong relationships and partnerships with major OEMs and cell makers at all levels of the organization, focusing on the management and coordination of customer-sourced Raw Materials (eg. Li/Co/Ni and pCAM).
- Support the Account Lead in managing customer-sourced raw materials including pCAM, ensuring alignment with Umicore standards such as ESG compliance, qualification, metal hedging, quality, and delivery liabilities.
- Leverage Umicore’s upstream ( Raw Material and Refining / Leaching ) expertise to gain further market share for BM. Influence the customer base with clear sustainability topics: CO2 emission, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), sustainable & ethical metal sourcing, in the context of customer-owned materials.
- Support the development and alignment of the optimal customer-sourced Raw Material setup with OEM’s and battery makers.
- Grow the OEM and battery maker knowledge of the Raw Material and refining markets. Organize deep dive reviews together with the sourcing business heads.
- Develop pricing structures for customer-sourced material and refining partnerships with OEM’s and battery makers, focusing on risk mitigation for Umicore (e.g., hedging, capital employed, volume flexibility, back-to-back pricing).
- Depending on the OEM’s / Battery maker partnership setup, develop the SLA’s related to customer-sourced Raw Material handling and transformation.
2. Strategic focus
- The global vehicle electrification is expected to grow significantly in the next decade. OEM’s are increasingly stepping into the supply chain including the raw material market. OEM’s value the RM expertise of Umicore and are looking for support in their sourcing strategy. The position supports the identification and execution of the optimal customer-sourced Raw Material setup in partnership with Account Leads, OEMs, and cell makers, enhancing the success of BM in Korea.
Who we are looking for
- Education :- University Master degree in Engineering/Science/Economics/Business Administration
- Work experience :- Work experience for minimum 5 - 10 years, preferably in a B2B commercial environment in automotive, metals or materials- 3 - 5 years experience in battery materials business, familiar with global supply chain dynamics for Lithium, cobalt, nickel up/down stream
- Technical skills :- Good demonstrated technical understanding of metal-based materials. Experience in battery technology & cathode materials is an advantage
- Language skills :- English & Korean (fluent)- Other language are of advantage
- Managerial skills :- Natural Commercial and Sales talent- Strategic thinker - Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills- Good negotiation skills- Strongly customer and service minded- Multi-cultural mindset
- Personality :- Enthusiastic & dynamic team player with an open “can do” mentality- Fast learner with strong analytical skills - Self-motivator able to work independently and with eye for detail- Flexible open/international mindset- Customer-focused, prepared to go the extra-mile- Stress resistant- Strategic mind-set, capable of giving helicopter-view
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?