Design Lead - SSB - Electrolyte

Job Role

A Solid-State Battery (SSB) Electrolyte Design Lead is a senior technical role responsible for driving the innovation, synthesis, and optimization of advanced solid electrolyte materialstypically inorganic ceramics, sulfides, or polymers. This role focuses on enhancing ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability, and interfacial compatibility with lithium metal anodes to enable next generation, high-energy-density batteries.

Position Summary

Lead the development, characterization, and implementation of advanced solid electrolytes, driving the technical roadmap from early R&D to pilot-scale production.

Key Responsibilities

Materials Design: Lead the design and synthesis of inorganic solid electrolytes (e.g., sulfides, oxides) to improve ionic conductivity, electrochemical stability, and mechanical integrity.

Interface Engineering: Optimize the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and solid-solid interfaces to minimize resistance and prevent dendrite growth.

R&D Strategy: Define the strategic R&D roadmap for electrolyte discovery, testing, and scaling.

Characterization & Analysis: Establish methods for evaluating electrolyte performance (e.g., EIS, XRD, electron microscopy, thermal analysis) to identify failure mechanisms.

Team Leadership: Manage and mentor a team of scientists and engineers, fostering a culture of rigorous scientific inquiry and safety.

Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with cell assembly, process engineering, and product development teams to ensure successful cell integration.

IP Development: Generate intellectual property through patents, invention disclosures, and technical reports.

Qualifications

Education: PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Electrochemistry, or Chemical Engineering.

Experience: 8+ years of experience in inorganic solid electrolyte research, specifically within the battery industry.

Technical Skills: Deep understanding of ion transport mechanisms, defect chemistry, and solid-solid interface phenomena.

Leadership: Proven ability to lead technical teams, manage projects, and communicate with leadership.

Key Focus Areas at Qpivolta

Commercialization: Bridging the gap between lab-scale synthesis and industrial manufacturing (e.g., roll-to-roll processing of solid electrolytes).

Dendrite Suppression: Designing electrolytes that can withstand high critical current densities (CCD) to allow for fast charging without short-circuiting.

Safety Standards: Upholding high safety protocols for volatile electrolyte

materials (e.g., sulfide handling).