Scientist, Materials Engineer, Process Engineer

IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. is currently looking to hire a SCIENTIST for a client in Johnson City, TN.

We are assisting this client with a search for a highly motivated Scientist to join its New Product Development team and advance next-generation battery separator technologies for lead-acid battery systems. This role will focus on improving separator performance, durability, manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness across PE, AGM, silica-filled rubber, and autoclaved vulcanized rubber materials.

The ideal candidate is a hands‑on materials scientist, polymer expert, or chemical engineer with strong R&D experience and the ability to translate lab‑scale innovation into pilot and commercial production. They are data‑driven, technically rigorous, collaborative, and comfortable leading complex development programs from concept through validation.

The role will involve developing new formulations, optimizing manufacturing processes, validating separator performance, supporting scale‑up from laboratory to pilot production, and collaborating closely with internal teams, customers, and technical stakeholders.

• Polyethylene separators
• Silica‑filled rubber separators
• Lead‑acid and lithium‑ion battery experience is a plus

• Lead the design, formulation, and synthesis of new high‑performance battery separator materials, including polyethylene, silica‑filled materials, and AGM products.
• Optimize manufacturing processes such as extrusion, pore formation, polymer compounding, and coating technologies.
• Improve key separator properties including permeability, mechanical strength, wettability, pore structure, electrical resistance, acid displacement, dendrite suppression, and oxidation stability.
• Apply Design of Experiments, root cause analysis, EVOP, and other problem‑solving tools to support product development and quality improvement programs.
• Develop and execute testing protocols to evaluate separator‑level attributes and their impact on battery cell performance.
• Collaborate with cell developers to integrate new separators into prototype cells and support abusive, electrochemical, and life‑cycle testing.
• Use advanced analytical tools such as FIB‑SEM, CT scanning, mercury porosimetry, SEM, DSC, TGA, tensile testing, and ICP to assess material structure and failure mechanisms.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Sales, Quality, and other cross‑functional teams to transfer new products from lab‑scale development into pilot‑scale and commercial production.
• Prepare technical reports, SOPs, conference presentations, technical papers, and stakeholder presentations.
• Monitor the patent landscape, support freedom‑to‑operate awareness, and identify opportunities to protect innovation through patents where appropriate.
• Identify opportunities to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and implement practical, data‑driven process improvements.
• Promote a zero‑incident safety culture and ensure strict adherence to safety policies, procedures, and PPE requirements.
• Foster a collaborative, respectful, inclusive, and team‑oriented working environment.

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of R&D experience focused on polymers, porous membranes, or separator technology.
• Experience with polyethylene separators, AGM materials, silica‑filled rubber separators, or autoclaved vulcanized rubber separators.
• Strong understanding of polymer physics, surface chemistry, and electrochemical transport mechanisms in porous materials.
• Hands‑on experience with extrusion, polymer compounding, and coating technologies.
• Experience with material characterization tools such as SEM, DSC, TGA, porosimetry, tensile testers, and ICP.
• Familiarity with global battery testing methods, including cycling, EIS, and CV, across American, European, and Asian standards as needed.
• Experience using AI‑enhanced modeling or high‑throughput data analysis to accelerate component optimization preferred.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to work independently in a fast‑paced R&D environment.
• Proven ability to manage new product development projects.
• Excellent technical communication, reporting, and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally to internal plants, customer sites, and conferences.
• Must be a US Citizen or Green card holder.

This is an opportunity to directly influence the future of battery separator technology while working across formulation, process optimization, advanced characterization, testing, IP development, and scale‑up. The role offers meaningful technical ownership, cross‑functional visibility, and the chance to contribute to product innovation in a specialized, high‑impact battery materials environment.