Gotion Inc. is based in Silicon Valley, CA, currently building a Manufacturing facility in Manteno, IL and has R&D centers in Ohio, China, Japan and Europe. We innovate in the next generation electric vehicle and energy storage technologies (lithium batteries and related systems) with the aim to accelerate electrified transportation and achieve sustainable development. Gotion is powered by a leading power battery technology company that provides solutions for vehicles including the world's first mass commercial e-bus route.
Gotion is a career destination - we are not simply attempting to just fill another job, but to pursue a dream of global green energy together! We offer outstanding opportunities to individuals seeking an exciting and challenging working environment. Everyone is highly valued and plays a vital role in the growth of our organization.
Director, Site Administration & General Affairs
Position Summary
The Director, Site Administration & General Affairs is a senior site leadership position responsible for building, scaling, and leading the administrative and general affairs infrastructure supporting Gotion's growing U.S. manufacturing campus.
This role will oversee the full range of site administration, general affairs, employee services, hospitality and hotel operations, transportation, security, workplace services, vendor management, government and community relations, executive/VIP support, and major site events.
The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience operating in a large-scale manufacturing, industrial, campus, hospitality, or similarly complex environment, with the ability to build systems and services from the ground up and scale them as the organization grows.
This is a hands-on leadership role for an individual who can move between strategic planning and day-to-day operational execution. The Director will be expected to establish standards, build teams, manage budgets and vendors, develop operating procedures, solve complex site issues, and create a professional and scalable campus environment capable of supporting continued manufacturing growth.
Key Responsibilities
1. Site Administration & Campus Operations
- Provide overall leadership for site administration and general affairs across the manufacturing campus.
- Develop and implement the administrative infrastructure, policies, procedures, service standards, and operating systems required to support a rapidly growing manufacturing operation.
- Build scalable administrative processes capable of supporting current operations and future campus expansion.
- Develop annual operating plans, staffing plans, budgets, and strategic initiatives for site administration and general affairs.
- Establish clear service-level expectations, KPIs, accountability mechanisms, and performance standards.
- Identify operational gaps and develop practical solutions to improve site efficiency, employee experience, cost control, and service delivery.
- Establish standardized processes for administrative requests, site services, employee services, visitors, vendors, transportation, accommodations, and other general affairs activities.
- Serve as a senior escalation point for significant site administration and employee-service issues.
- Ensure administrative operations remain aligned with production schedules, shift structures, workforce growth, and changing business requirements.
2. Manufacturing Campus Start-Up & Organizational Scaling
- Lead the development and maturation of administrative infrastructure as the site transitions from a developing manufacturing operation into a large-scale industrial campus.
- Establish systems, staffing models, vendor relationships, service standards, and operating procedures in anticipation of significant workforce and operational growth.
- Assess future administrative requirements based on production expansion, workforce projections, additional buildings, new shifts, visitors, contractors, and increased site activity.
- Develop scalable organizational structures capable of supporting a campus environment of potentially thousands of employees, contractors, visitors, and business partners.
- Establish processes that can evolve as the site progresses through construction, commissioning, production ramp-up, and full-scale operations.
- Identify gaps between current capabilities and future campus requirements and develop implementation plans to close those gaps.
- Build an administration organization that can transition from reactive support to a proactive, professional site-services model.
3. Hotel & Hospitality Operations
- Provide overall administrative leadership and oversight for company-operated or company-supported hotel/accommodation facilities serving employees, executives, visitors, customers, and business partners.
- Establish operating standards for hotel accommodations, front-desk services, housekeeping, food and beverage services, maintenance coordination, reservations, guest services, and vendor management.
- Develop hotel staffing models, operating procedures, service standards, budgets, and performance metrics.
- Ensure hotel operations provide a professional hospitality experience consistent with the needs of an international manufacturing campus.
- Oversee relationships with hotel management companies, hospitality vendors, staffing providers, and other service partners where applicable.
- Establish processes for employee accommodations, executive housing, visiting employees, overseas employees, customers, government officials, and VIP guests.
- Monitor occupancy, service quality, operating costs, guest satisfaction, and vendor performance.
- Develop procedures for peak demand periods associated with executive visits, plant ramp-up, training programs, business delegations, and major company events.
- Coordinate hotel operations with transportation, catering, security, facilities, and plant administration.
4. Employee Services & Workplace Experience
- Oversee employee-facing services including:
- Transportation and shuttle operations
- Employee accommodations
- Catering and food services
- Uniforms
- Workplace supplies
- Meeting and conference facilities
- Mail and courier services
- Employee common areas
- Workplace amenities
- Administrative support services
- Develop service standards that create a professional and responsive employee experience.
- Establish employee feedback mechanisms and use data to identify opportunities for service improvement.
- Adjust services based on workforce size, production schedules, shifts, overtime, seasonal demand, and campus expansion.
- Coordinate employee services across manufacturing, office, warehouse, and other site populations.
5. Transportation & Mobility
- Oversee company transportation and shuttle services supporting employees, executives, visitors, and business operations.
- Develop transportation routes, schedules, capacity plans, service standards, and contingency plans.
- Manage transportation vendors and monitor safety, reliability, cost, and service performance.
- Develop scalable transportation solutions as employee populations and shift structures increase.
- Coordinate transportation requirements for executive visits, government delegations, customers, overseas employees, and major events.
- Establish contingency plans for severe weather, transportation disruptions, emergencies, and unexpected production requirements.
6. Security, Access & Emergency Site Support
- Provide administrative oversight of site security operations and security service providers.
- Oversee access control, visitor management, contractor access, vehicle access, security patrols, restricted areas, and security-related administrative procedures.
- Establish professional visitor and contractor management systems appropriate for a large manufacturing campus.
- Partner with Security, EHS, Facilities, and site leadership on emergency preparedness, business continuity, and crisis response.
- Support the development of site protocols for executive, customer, government, and VIP visits.
- Ensure security-related vendors meet established performance, compliance, and service standards.
7. Facilities & Site Services
- Oversee general site-service functions supporting the administrative and common areas of the campus.
- Coordinate services including:
- Janitorial services
- Landscaping
- Snow removal
- Pest control
- Waste management
- General maintenance coordination
- Common-area services
- Workplace services
- Partner with Facilities, Engineering, Maintenance, EHS, and Production to ensure administrative and common-area facilities remain safe, clean, operational, and professionally maintained.
- Establish service standards and escalation procedures for site issues.
- Support the transition of newly constructed buildings and facilities into operational use.
8. Vendor, Contract & Budget Management
- Develop and manage the site's administrative vendor portfolio.
- Oversee contracts for hospitality, hotel operations, transportation, catering, security, janitorial, landscaping, waste, accommodations, and other site services.
- Establish vendor KPIs, SLAs, quality standards, compliance requirements, and performance reviews.
- Negotiate contracts and identify opportunities for cost reduction without compromising service quality or operational requirements.
- Develop and manage annual budgets, forecasts, and cost-control initiatives.
- Monitor spending and establish appropriate approval and purchasing controls.
- Hold vendors accountable for service failures and lead corrective-action processes.
9. Government, Community & External Relations
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with local and state government agencies, officials, community organizations, and other external stakeholders.
- Serve as a key company representative on government and community matters affecting site operations.
- Coordinate administrative support for government officials, regulatory representatives, economic-development organizations, and other external stakeholders visiting the site.
- Partner with senior leadership on government relations and community engagement activities.
- Support site-level requirements associated with permits, inspections, community events, public officials, and other external relationships.
- Maintain a professional and consistent company presence within the local community.
10. Executive, Customer & VIP Visits
- Lead administrative planning and execution for executive leadership visits, customers, government officials, investors, business partners, international delegations, and other VIP guests.
- Develop standardized protocols for:
- VIP reception
- Hotel accommodations
- Transportation
- Catering
- Security
- Meeting facilities
- Plant tours
- Executive events
- Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure visits are professionally executed from arrival through departure.
- Develop contingency plans for high-profile or time-sensitive visits.
- Establish a consistent hospitality and visitor experience across the campus.
11. Major Events & Corporate Activities
- Lead planning and execution of major site events, including employee celebrations, company meetings, customer events, community events, leadership meetings, cultural events, and corporate functions.
- Coordinate facilities, catering, transportation, security, accommodations, communications, and other requirements.
- Develop event budgets, timelines, vendor plans, risk assessments, and execution procedures.
- Ensure events are conducted safely, professionally, and in alignment with company standards.
12. Cross-Functional Leadership
- Serve as a key administrative partner to senior site leadership.
- Partner closely with HR, EHS, Production, Engineering, Finance, Procurement, IT, Security, Facilities, Legal, and other functions.
- Lead cross-functional resolution of complex site-service and administrative issues.
- Establish clear ownership and escalation processes when issues cross departmental boundaries.
- Ensure administrative services are integrated with production and business requirements rather than operating independently from the plant.
13. Team Leadership & Organizational Development
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Site Administration & General Affairs organization.
- Determine appropriate organizational structure, staffing levels, roles, and responsibilities based on current and projected campus requirements.
- Recruit, develop, coach, and retain administrative and site-services personnel.
- Establish clear KPIs, performance expectations, service standards, and accountability.
- Develop succession plans and internal capability-development programs.
- Build a culture focused on responsiveness, professionalism, operational discipline, and customer service.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Operations, Hospitality Management, Industrial Management, or a related field preferred.
- Background and experience working for Fortune 500 company.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in site administration, general affairs, plant operations, campus operations, hospitality/hotel management, facilities services, or a related field.
- 5+ years of leadership and people-management experience, preferably managing multidisciplinary teams.
- Demonstrated experience supporting or leading operations within a large manufacturing, industrial, corporate campus, hospitality, or similarly complex environment.
- Experience building, implementing, and scaling administrative infrastructure during a start-up, expansion, transformation, or significant organizational growth period strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience managing hotel, lodging, hospitality, employee accommodation, or large-scale guest-service operations strongly preferred.
- Experience supporting a 1,000-2000+ employee operation strongly preferred, with experience scaling beyond that population highly desirable.
- Strong understanding of employee services, transportation, catering, security, workplace services, facilities support, hospitality, and vendor management.
- Demonstrated experience with budgets, cost control, contract negotiation, procurement, vendor management, and service-level agreements.
- Experience developing policies, procedures, operating standards, KPIs, and scalable administrative systems.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing or industrial environment.
- Strong executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with senior executives, employees, government officials, customers, vendors, and community stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and establish structure in a developing or rapidly changing organization.
- Strong problem-solving, organizational, negotiation, and cross-functional leadership skills.
- Experience working with local and state government agencies and external stakeholders.
- Experience in battery, EV, automotive, semiconductor, energy, advanced manufacturing, or other large-scale industrial environments preferred.
- Experience working in a multicultural or international organization strongly preferred.
- Bilingual English/Mandarin communication skills are a plus.
Leadership Profile
The successful candidate will be a builder and operator, not simply an administrator.
We are seeking an individual who can:
- Build administrative infrastructure where processes do not yet exist.
- Scale services as the workforce and physical campus rapidly expand.
- Understand the operational demands of a 24/7 manufacturing environment.
- Balance employee experience with cost, safety, compliance, and operational requirements.
- Manage both strategic initiatives and day-to-day site issues.
- Lead diverse teams and external service providers.
- Create accountability through measurable standards and KPIs.
- Represent the company professionally with executives, government officials, customers, employees, and the community.
- Operate effectively in a multicultural and international environment.
- Anticipate future campus requirements rather than simply responding to current problems.
Work Environment
This is a high-visibility, on-site leadership position supporting a rapidly growing manufacturing operation. The successful candidate should be comfortable working in an environment characterized by significant growth, changing priorities, construction and expansion activity, production ramp-up, international business relationships, and a diverse employee population.
The role requires a leader who is willing to be hands-on when necessary while simultaneously building the systems, teams, and infrastructure required for long-term scale.
Gotion Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to fostering a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve, cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging, and ensuring equal employment opportunities for all.
We provide equal opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions (including breastfeeding), parental status, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other characteristic protected by law.
At Gotion Inc., we strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
