Senior Polymer Scientist

LOCATION: Indiana
REPORTS TO: VP – R&D

POSITION SUMMARY: BrightVolt is seeking a highly motivated, detail oriented, and hands-on Senior Polymer Scientist with excellent polymer science fundamentals to develop and optimize polymer materials for use as electrolyte and in binder formulations for battery applications. The prospective candidate will follow through the process of polymer and solvent selection, formulation development, solution characteristics study and stability assessments in the alignment with the battery technology and product development of the polymer electrolyte technology. The development effort would involve synthesis, modifications, and characterization of new and existing polymers that will be used and formulated into electrolytes and binder solutions for batteries. The candidate is expected to be familiar with the performance requirements of polymers for battery applications and will also lead the scale up of lab process of the polymer synthesis/modifications, the electrolyte solutions and electrolyte membranes from lab to pilot scale.

CORE POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Development, synthesis, modifications and optimization of polymers and polymer properties that will result in consistent high-performance battery electrolytes and electrode formulations.
• Polymer and component characterization that ensures all polymer components and products are within specifications.
• Product Design from concept to scale up for applications in batteries
• Lead and participate in interactions with other functional teams to develop technology for batteries
• Product design: from concept to scale up including all ancillary requirements. (i.e.; regulatory, testing, etc.)
• Close monitoring of industry trends, benchmarking competitive products and technologies to maintain BrightVolt’s leadership position in polymer electrolyte technology

SKILLS and COMPETENCIES

• Self-starter: capable of working independently and driving projects to completion while retaining flexibility and maintaining composure under pressure
• Ability to communicate clearly and candidly with strong convictions to other BrightVolt team members, effectively fostering collaborative relationships at all organizational levels to build and support a team environment
• Strong oral and written communications. Must be able to efficiently engage and inform peers and subordinates, as well as coordinate the efforts of multiple parties with disparate goals.
• Able to prioritize and manage time effectively (self- motivated and self-managing)
• Be committed to product excellence and value (quality, service, and cost)
• Experience with Design of Experiments (DOE) methodology, Statistical Quality Control (SQC) and reproducibility/reliability
• Able to translate designs and planning to actions and quantifiable results.
• The candidate must be highly motivated, detail-oriented, and hands-on with demonstrated knowledge of polymer synthesis
• Positive attitude / high energy / team oriented with high attention to detail, accuracy and precision
WORKING CONDITIONS:
• Ability to work in a dry room environment for extended periods of time
• Must be able to pass a respirator fit test and wear required personal protective equipment daily

MINIMUM POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Ph.D. in Polymer Science/Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering or related fields with minimum of 5 years industrial experience in polymer and/or composite electrolytes. M.S. degree in chemistry with 7-10 years’ industrial experience in polymer chemistry (or equivalent discipline) will also be considered.
• 5 years experience with battery technology is required
• Knowledge in electrochemistry a plus
• Knowledge in scale up of polymer synthesis a plus