Head of Product - Battery

Battery Product Head

Turno

Turno’s model integrates three high-synergy verticals:

• EV Financing & Distribution

  : India’s largest e-SCV platform offering multi-brand access, lowest TCO, buyback guarantees, and seamless financing. This gives first-time EV owners the confidence to switch from diesel or CNG. Turno is already the market leader in this segment with over 15% market share.

• Bus Leasing

  : A plug-and-play leasing solution for private bus operators, bundling capital, charging, maintenance, and resale into one contract—built for asset-heavy long-haul use cases. Turno is well positioned to dominate this market with ~60% of OEM capacities for next 15-24 months aligned to Turno.

• Battery Repurposing

  : Turno’s proprietary testing, battery management systems, and pack assembly enable the company to convert used EV batteries into high-margin stationary energy storage solutions—unlocking 4–5x more value than recycling. This acts both as a margin booster for financing business while unlocking a huge multi-billion dollar TAM for energy storage batteries.

Turno currently operates in 14 states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi NCR, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. With 294+ distribution points and 7 retail outlets (with 20 more under rollout), Turno already holds a 15% share in commercial EV financing in 3W segment. Its 2025 expansion roadmap targets presence in 20 states and 80%+ of India’s EV demand clusters by FY27.

Turno is stepping in to rebuild this ecosystem—anchored in deep battery intelligence, vertically integrated operations, and a finance-first platform that makes EV adoption scalable, reliable, and profitable.

Backed by Stellaris, Avaana, B Capital, Quona, and British International Investment, Turno is not just enabling EV adoption—it is architecting the financial and operational rails for India's $20B+ commercial EV transformation.

Turno LEADERS

Hemanth Aluru, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Hemanth Aluru is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in various leadership roles across multiple industries. Currently serving as Co-Founder at Turno since January 2022, Hemanth previously held the position of Chief Business Officer at Zoomcar from January 2019 to May 2021. Earlier, Hemanth served as Chief Executive Officer at Chemvera Specialty Chemicals Pvt. Ltd, a company he founded and exited through sale, from December 2014 to November 2017. Prior experience includes roles at Goldman Sachs, where responsibilities included Private Equity Analyst and Investment Banking Analyst from December 2009 to September 2013. Hemanth holds a Master's degree in Engineering Management from Dartmouth College and a BTech in Aerospace from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

Sudhindra Reddy, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Sudhindra Redd y is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in operations, logistics, and entrepreneurship. Currently serving as Co-Founder at Turno since June 2021, Sudhindra focuses on innovation in the electric vehicle sector. Prior to this, Sudhindra was Chief Operating Officer at Zoomcar from October 2017 to June 2021, where a significant role was played in advancing India’s car subscription model. Sudhindra's career at Procter & Gamble spanned from May 2008 to June 2018, with various positions including Initiatives and Cost Delivery Manager, Regional Logistics Manager, and Operations Department Manager, where impactful logistics and operational strategies were developed. Initial experience includes a role as Scientist at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), where project management was executed on a large-scale initiative. Sudhindra is an MBA graduate from IIT Bombay and holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology.

Position Summary :

Turno is seeking a passionate and accomplished Head of Battery Product Development to lead the company’s initiative in repurposing used EV batteries into second-life energy storage systems. This is a pivotal leadership opportunity at the intersection of cleantech innovation, sustainability, and energy access.

The Head of Product will be responsible for architecting and executing the technical and product strategy—from battery pack grading and re-engineering to commercialization of fully integrated BESS (Battery Energy Storage Systems). The role will require close collaboration with cross-functional teams and external partners while building a best-in-class internal battery engineering team.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Reports to

Sudhindra Reddy, Co-Founder & COO

Direct reports

Battery Engineering, Product Development, BMS, Testing Team

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Product Vision & Lifecycle Strategy

• Define and translate Turno’s vision for second-life battery systems into a clear, scalable product roadmap.

• Create and iterate design architectures for battery packs reconfigured from used EV modules (primarily LFP & NMC chemistries).

• Lead lab-to-market evolution: functional prototypes, validation, and full-scale commercialization of standalone and hybrid storage products.

System Architecture & Safety

• Oversee pack design for mechanical, thermal, and electrical safety across storage formats (off-grid, hybrid, grid-connected).

• Guide the development and customization of Battery Management Systems (BMS) for stationary applications, covering SOC/SOH estimation, balancing, thermal control, and remote diagnostics.

Testing & Validation

• Develop systems and processes to accurately carry out cell/pack grading, failure analysis, and repurposability assessment.

• Lead product validation cycles, testing infrastructure set-up, and electrochemical/thermal experiments.

Market & Regulatory Alignment

• Ensure compliance with national and international safety + testing norms for energy storage (IS, BIS, UL1973, IEC 62619, etc.).

• Contribute to policy advocacy and certification strategy for second-life lithium-ion batteries in India.

Talent & Team Leadership

• Build and mentor cross-functional teams across cell engineering, pack design, firmware/BMS, data analytics, and field pilots.

• Shape a high-performance culture anchored in scientific rigor and rapid product iteration.

External Collaborations

• Establish and manage partnerships with OEMs, recyclers, BMS firms, testing agencies, and storage solution integrators.

• Support commercial teams with engagement strategy for offtakers, energy service providers, and government bodies.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

Education & Experience

• Graduate or postgraduate in Electrochemistry, Materials Science, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent field.

• About 12–15 years of experience in battery R&D, repurposing/reuse, energy storage solutions, or EV battery systems.

• Built or scaled physical battery products ideally in a startup, OEM, or BESS integrator setup.

Technical Depth

• Proficiency in lithium-ion batteries (LFP and NMC chemistries)—cell testing, pack teardown/grading, and repowering.

• Hands-on understanding of second-life battery use cases, charging cycles, and degradation behavior in stationary settings.

• Familiarity with simulation and modeling tools like COMSOL, ANSYS Battery Module, GT-AutoLion, etc.

• Strong track record in architecting or integrating BMS/EMS platforms.

Leadership & Communication

• Demonstrated ability to lead R&D and product teams through ambiguity and scaling phases.

• Excellent communication skills—able to convey technical strategy to founders, investors, partners, and regulators.

• Entrepreneurial, hands-on builder with a bias for action and a passion for sustainability.

CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES

Acting Strategically

• Creates a 2-3-year roadmap or blueprint to implement the enterprise strategy in own area
• Identifies and prioritizes the most critical future factors to consider in making decisions
• Makes plans to address changes or trends in the external landscape (i.e. competitors, clients, and market segments) that affect own business or area
• Develop plans that consider the impact beyond own area, location, function, or market

Collaborating and Influencing

• Identifies all necessary stakeholders and connects with them to gain support or agreement
• Negotiates with a genuine give-and-take approach that takes all parties’ perspectives into account
• Takes advantage of opportunities to build strategic relationships to achieve a specific outcome
• Engages others in open dialogue and adapts own influence approach to different stakeholders in ways that address their interests or concerns
• Anticipates emerging or potential conflicts among all stakeholders and takes steps to pre-empt them

Demonstrating Commercial Acumen

• Enables higher profitability, revenue or market share by making calculated changes in processes, expanding or reducing the portfolio of businesses, or growing the business organically
• Identifies profitable new business opportunities, describing the financial benefits and risks
• Evaluates the wider commercial impact of decisions beyond the short-term
• Evaluates own commercial performance against industry benchmarks