Application Guide

How to Apply for Business Operations Associate

at Redwood Materials

🏢 About Redwood Materials

Redwood Materials is pioneering a closed-loop lithium-ion battery supply chain by recycling batteries to recover critical materials, reducing environmental impact and dependence on mining. Their mission to create a sustainable domestic supply chain for EVs and energy storage makes them a leader in the green tech revolution. Working here means contributing directly to a circular economy and the clean energy transition.

About This Role

As a Business Operations Associate, you will own the P&L for operating assets in Reno and Ridgeville, driving financial accuracy and strategic insights. You'll build business cases for capital deployment and expansion, and develop dashboards to forecast performance. This role is impactful because your analyses directly influence multi-million dollar investment decisions and operational efficiency across the company's manufacturing sites.

💡 A Day in the Life

You might start by reviewing the previous day's production output and costs from the Ridgeville plant, then update the P&L dashboard with actuals. Mid-morning, you'd meet with the plant manager to discuss a variance in material costs and propose a corrective action. Afternoon could involve building a financial model for a new recycling line investment, incorporating feedback from engineering. You'd end the day by preparing a summary for the monthly business review with senior leadership.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Redwood Materials Is Looking For

  • Has 2+ years of business operations experience specifically in manufacturing, with a proven track record of managing P&L and driving cost improvements.
  • Possesses a Bachelor's in Finance, Business, or Engineering and strong financial modeling skills (e.g., Excel, SQL, or BI tools).
  • Can translate complex data into clear, actionable recommendations and influence cross-functional teams including engineering and plant management.
  • Thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and is passionate about sustainability and the circular economy.

📝 Tips for Applying to Redwood Materials

1

Quantify your impact in previous roles: e.g., 'Reduced manufacturing costs by 15% through process optimization' or 'Managed a $10M P&L with 5% variance to budget.'

2

Highlight any experience with capital investment analysis, ROI modeling, or business case development for manufacturing expansions.

3

Tailor your resume to emphasize manufacturing operations, not just general business ops—mention specific metrics like throughput, yield, or OEE.

4

In your cover letter, explicitly connect your skills to Redwood's mission of building a closed-loop battery supply chain and reducing waste.

5

Research Redwood's recent news (e.g., partnerships with Ford, Toyota, or DOE loans) and mention how your work could support their scaling efforts.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Emphasize your direct experience with P&L ownership in a manufacturing setting and your ability to drive actionable insights from financial data.', "Express passion for sustainability and the circular economy, linking your career goals to Redwood's mission of reducing battery waste.", 'Showcase your analytical rigor with examples of building models that influenced capital deployment or operational decisions.', "Demonstrate cross-functional collaboration skills, especially with engineering or operations teams, as you'll work closely with plant managers."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Understand Redwood's current recycling process (e.g., how they recover lithium, cobalt, nickel) and their target materials for future recovery.
  • → Read about their partnerships with major automakers (Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen) and how these affect supply chain dynamics.
  • → Review recent DOE loan announcements or grants to Redwood, as these impact capital deployment and expansion plans.
  • → Look into the specific challenges of battery recycling (e.g., logistics, material purity) and how operations finance can address them.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through how you would build a financial model to evaluate the ROI of a new recycling line expansion.
2 Describe a time you identified a significant risk or opportunity in a P&L and how you communicated it to leadership.
3 How would you approach forecasting production costs for a new manufacturing site with limited historical data?
4 What metrics would you track to monitor the financial health of a battery recycling plant, and why?
5 How do you prioritize competing initiatives when supporting multiple operating assets (Reno and Ridgeville)?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't mention manufacturing or sustainability—this role requires specific industry context.
  • Focusing only on financial analysis without showing understanding of operations (e.g., throughput, downtime, yield).
  • Not preparing to discuss how you handle ambiguity—this role involves building models from scratch with imperfect data.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Redwood Materials !

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