CUSTOMER PROGRAM MANAGER

About Blue Whale Materials Blue Whale Materials is an American recycling company producing a source of domestic critical minerals from battery material. We are building lithium-ion battery recycling facilities producing a high-quality black mass containing cobalt, nickel, manganese, and lithium in the first stage of a closed-loop solution for lithium-ion battery manufacturers. Blue Whale Materials has established its first recycling plant in Bartlesville, OK. As we grow, we are seeking talented and motivated candidates to join our team. Compensation is based on experience.

Job Summary:

We are seeking a detail-oriented, motivated Customer Program Manager to support our growing commercial team and ensure flawless customer service execution. This role owns the customer workflow end-to-end and contract compliance —from prospecting and RFQ support through onboarding, order fulfillment, documentation QC, shipment execution, shipping/receiving reconciliation, and post-delivery follow-up. This is a fully on-site position based at our Bartlesville, OK plant. The Customer Program Manager serves as the key liaison between customers and internal teams and is the primary quality-control (QC) owner for each customer, ensuring all customer-facing documentation, deliverables, and communications are accurate, consistent, and aligned with contract requirements. This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about sustainability, excels in communication, and thrives in a fast-paced, technical commercial environment.

Primary Responsibilities:

Serve as the day-to-day point of contact for assigned customers and serve as the first point of contact for inbound inquiries, ensuring timely, clear communication and strong customer satisfaction. Act as the main customer QC owner, ensuring all customer-facing documentation and deliverables are complete, accurate, and consistent (e.g., packing lists, invoices, B/Ls, labels, COAs/assays when applicable, photos, shipment records, and any other contract-required documents). Ensure all contractual obligations and service level commitments are met — track deliverables and compliance. Lead cross-functional program teams (Operations, Engineering, Commercial, Logistics, Quality, Finance) to deliver on customer commitments, meet or exceed SLAs, and resolve issues rapidly. Prepare and coordinate RFQs, quotes, pricing sheets, and proposal inputs in partnership with the Commercial team; maintain CRM accuracy and pipeline/order tracking. Support new business and account growth by coordinating external customer engagement from prospecting through contract execution, including RFQs, bid packages, and onboarding activities. Work closely with the Commercial team to develop and support new proposals, pricing models, and contract renewals. Work side-by-side with Bartlesville Operations and Logistics teams to plan and execute incoming feedstock receipts and outbound product/logistics shipments on time and within specification. Act as main point and lead rapid resolution for any customer complaints or quality, delivery, or service issues using structured root-cause analysis and corrective action processes. Maintain accurate CRM records, customer scorecards, and performance dashboards; present and prepare reports for customers and internal leadership. Identify and champion opportunities to improve processes, increase customer value, and expand services within existing accounts. Produce internal customer service reports and present periodic reviews to leadership. Partner with Commercial leadership on outreach efforts, campaigns, and customer feedback loops; identify process improvements to streamline workflows and enhance the customer experience.

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Supply Chain, or related field. 3-5 years of program/account management experience in manufacturing, recycling, waste management, chemicals, or related industrial sectors. Proven track record owning customer relationships and driving customer satisfaction in a B2B environment. Demonstrated ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and influence without direct authority. Experience managing contracts and ensuring regulatory/compliance adherence. Excellent communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills. Comfort operating in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment with evolving processes. Must reside in or be willing to relocate to the Bartlesville, OK area. Willingness to travel up to 25% to customer sites and other company locations as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in battery, lithium-ion, critical minerals, or recycling industries. Knowledge of hazardous materials logistics, environmental regulations (EPA, DOT, OSHA), and/or R2/RIOS certification requirements. Technical understanding of battery chemistries, hydrometallurgical or shredding processes. Familiarity with ERP and CRM systems (NetSuite, Salesforce, etc.).