Process Engineer

Who You Are

You are a creative, diligent, rigorous, insightful and hands-on technical contributor. You have experience as a process engineer within a large scale industrial manufacturing environment with particulate and powder handling, and powder flow from rheology to pneumatic transport, fluidization, filtration, and transport. You will design and develop physical processes to manufacture powder and particulate materials used to manufacture the next generation of Li-ion batteries. We start with first principles, develop new materials, design & qualify processes for pilot scale development & commercial production, and continually support and improve our manufacturing capability. You will enjoy closely collaborating with a core team of Process, Equipment, and Manufacturing representatives on complex multi-phase, multi-year projects.

Responsibilities & Duties

• Understand specific design methodologies surrounding material handling of powders, process utilities and other supporting “offsites” such as absorption towers, pressure swing adsorbers, thermal oxidizers, heat exchangers, compressors, pumping/pneumatic transport equipment and safe handling of combustible particulates and safety systems.
• Specific knowledge and experience surrounding particle flow,  rheology, fluidization processes, filtration, sieving, milling, pumping/pneumatic transport equipment.
• Design, develop, and validate chemical and physical processes utilizing industry best practices, and collaborate in building technology transfer packages to Manufacturing.
• Originate clear and detailed Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) documents such as mass and energy balances, specification sheets, piping and instrumentation diagrams with supporting process calculations
• Research, recommend, specify and qualify equipment necessary for safe and efficient operation
• Plan & execute designed experiments (DOEs) at various process scales.
• Investigate material characteristics and process/device performance relationships to recommend continual improvement and control strategies
• Expand mechanistic understanding of core recipes for current and future production scales. Propose new process hardware and reactor configurations and iterate through development to deliver an in-specification process.
• Experience in HAZID/HAZOP/THA/PHA. 
• Engineer layers of protections to comply with HAZOP requirements for equipment handling silicon anode materials
• Troubleshoot and optimize existing synthesis processes to maximize efficiency, reliability, and performance of current production material. Deliver effective and timely outcomes on inbound Manufacturing requests, root cause investigations (CAPA), change management projects (MOC), and process deviations (PD).

Knowledge & Skills

• B.S. Chemical Engineering or comparable with 5+ years of industrial processing experience 
• Understand asset operation and troubleshooting: wiring, mechanics, and instrument operation
• Be a conscientious, curious, and a deliberate thinker/actor
• Desire to work with/for a team and ability to solve problems independently
• Materials science and engineering R&D experience
• Proficiency with process simulation or statistical process control

Physical Demands & Work Conditions

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a laptop, copier/printer machine, etc.
• Pass a respirator fit test and be able to wear respiratory protection
• Repetitive use of hands - light to forceful handling of material
• Wear personal protective equipment including, but not limited to, a lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and steel toe safety shoes