Materials Scientist

Materials Scientist | Electrochemical Energy Technologies

Brightsmith are supporting an innovative clean energy technology company as they continue to scale their engineering and product development team. We are looking for a Materials Scientist / Materials Engineer to play a key role in the development of next‑generation electrochemical technology.

This is an opportunity to work across the full product development lifecycle, from evaluating new materials in the laboratory through to supporting component qualification and commercial scale‑up. Working within a multidisciplinary engineering team, you will help drive improvements in performance, durability, manufacturability and cost across critical electrochemical components.

• Evaluate and select materials for electrochemical components including electrodes, membranes, bipolar plates, seals, coatings and other critical system parts.
• Investigate material performance, degradation mechanisms, chemical compatibility and mechanical behaviour under operating conditions.
• Design and carry out material screening and validation programmes to assess performance from laboratory scale through to larger systems.
• Support material selection decisions by analysing test data and translating findings into practical engineering recommendations.
• Work closely with chemistry, electrochemistry, mechanical and systems engineering teams to optimise component performance.
• Lead material‑related failure investigations and root cause analysis to improve product reliability.
• Support supplier engagement, material specifications, qualification plans and quality control processes.
• Present technical findings and recommendations clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

• Degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Chemistry or a related discipline.
• Around 3-5 years' experience within materials development, product development or R&D.
• Strong understanding of material characterisation, degradation mechanisms and material compatibility within engineering applications.
• Experience translating laboratory findings into scalable engineering solutions and manufacturable products.
• Hands‑on experience designing experiments, analysing data and communicating technical conclusions.
• Comfortable working within a fast‑paced product development or start‑up environment.

• Experience with in electrochemical technologies such as batteries, flow batteries, fuel cells or electrolysers.
• Knowledge of cell or stack components including membranes, electrodes, bipolar plates, seals or coatings.
• Experience supporting scale‑up, material qualification, supplier management or component release.
• Familiarity with Python, MATLAB or similar tools for technical data analysis.
• Experience working across multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver commercial products.