Senior Electrode Process Engineer

Senior Electrode Process Engineer

Hayward CA

Blue Current (the "Company") is the industry leader in the development of silicon solid state batteries. Free of flammable liquid electrolytes, Blue Current's fully dry, inherently safe batteries significantly reduce risks to human and environmental health while providing a higher-performance alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Blue Current's silicon-based platform is highly adaptable, enabling a cost-effective solution for both the mobility and stationary storage markets.

Blue Current's team works out of its state-of-the-art headquarters and pilot line facility in Hayward, California.

The Senior Electrode Process Engineer is responsible for producing finished electrodes that meet the quality and performance standards required by Blue Current's cell assembly team, while simultaneously developing the process knowledge needed to scale electrode manufacturing to high-volume production. This role covers the full electrode manufacturing process from slurry preparation through coating, drying, and calendering, with an emphasis on process characterization, yield improvement, and the establishment of robust QA/QC protocols developed in partnership with the Quality team.

The Senior Electrode Process Engineer plays a central role in validating processes at current scale and defining the pathway to gigafactory-level production, ensuring that what works in the lab or pilot line is understood well enough to translate reliably cess means consistent, high-quality electrode delivery to the cell assembly team today, and a process foundation that is ready to scale tomorrow.

• Executes and refines electrode manufacturing processes across all unit operations including slurry mixing, coating, drying, and calendering, delivering finished electrodes to the cell assembly team that consistently meet defined quality specifications
• Evaluates, selects, and validates process equipment based on the specific rheological, chemical, and dimensional requirements of each electrode formulation. Examples may include selecting/validating mixer types (e.g., planetary, ball mill, homogenizer) and coating methods (e.g., slot die, comma, gravure).
• Characterizes process parameters and their relationships to electrode properties, building the process understanding needed to set specifications, tighten tolerances, and improve yield
• Develops and monitors QA/QC protocols in partnership with the Quality team, including inline and post-process inspection criteria, measurement methods, and acceptance standards for finished electrodes
• Identifies process failure modes and leads root cause investigations, implementing corrective actions and documenting outcomes to build institutional process knowledge
• Translates current pilot-scale process knowledge into scalable procedures, identifying critical process parameters and equipment requirements that must be addressed on the path to high-volume manufacturing
• Collaborates with cell engineering and materials teams to ensure electrode process decisions account for downstream cell assembly requirements and cell performance outcomes
• Leads projects by developing clear, actionable plans with defined milestones and success metrics, managing timelines effectively, and ensuring high-quality, on-schedule execution
• Supports a strong safety culture by following and improving laboratory safety practices, demonstrating exemplary experimental techniques, and helping implement best-practice updates
• Other duties as assigned, consistent with the scope and level of this position

Education

• PhD, MS (with 3+ years of relevant experience), or BS (with 5+ years of relevant experience) in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, or a related field, with a focus on batteries or electrochemical devices

Experience

• Hands-on experience developing and optimizing slurry-based electrode manufacturing processes, including mixing, coating, drying, and calendering operations
• Track record of selecting and validating process equipment for a given set of material and process requirements, with working…