Mechanical Process Engineer I
Listed on 2026-08-12
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Engineering
Process Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Materials Engineering
About Khemia Metals:
Khemia Metals is an Oakland, CA-based startup, focused on making cheaper and lighter batteries. Copper foil is the third most expensive component and the third heaviest component in lithium-ion cells. We are replacing copper foil with base metal alloy foils. Khemia's foil is a drop-in replacement for copper foil, is >3x lighter and made from >12x cheaper metals. In 2024 the EV industry alone spent >$7Bn
purchasing copper foil and the market should grow to >$35 Bn/yr by 2050. Khemia's technology will meaningfully reduce the weight and cost of batteries while using entirely earth-abundant materials.
Khemia Metals was co-founded in 2024 by Dr. Helen Bergstrom & Dr. Daniel Suzuki with the mission of replacing critical materials with earth-abundant alloys to make lighter, cheaper and more sustainable energy storage. Khemia has raised over $6M in venture capital and non-dilutive funding. We are a small but mighty three-person team of builders with backgrounds in chemical and materials engineering, electrochemistry, and process development.
We all wear many hats and are willing to roll up our sleeves to jump in where needed. We are looking for additional engineers who are excited to help optimize and scale our new battery foils and see our technology through customer validation and adoption.
Our team has developed a lightweight alloy foil that matches the performance of copper foils when integrated in lithium-ion batteries for thousands of cycles. We are building a pilot roll-to-roll manufacturing process to produce our alloy foils at ultra-thin gauges to supply testing and early orders with commercial partners. Our goal is to enter customer validation testing with our first-generation alloy foil in 2026 and to build technical confidence with our customers that our technology is a drop-in replacement for copper in their battery cells.
Our team continues to work on alloy composition, structure and surface optimization for future generations of alloy foil to meet the needs of different cell chemistries and designs.
The Mechanical Process Engineer I will work hands on in building, commissioning and operating our pilot foil production line. You will work closely with the CTO on rolling process development on our pilot rolling line, as well as downstream processing including heat treating, foil converting, and surface treatment. We are a small team meaning you will have opportunity to make major contributions to the company's technology.
How you'll contribute :- Design, plan and execute experiments to optimize our rolling process
- Operate our foil rolling line to produce materials for internal and external testing
- Perform data analysis, write detailed technical reports and present findings to the team.
- Develop and update SOPs for foil rolling, downstream processing and related characterization methods
- Perform basic literature reviews, document and summarize findings
- Own the design and assembly of mechanical assemblies and fixturing prototypes
- Work with vendors to develop complex specifications for process equipment
- Awarded an BS in engineering (mechanical, electrical, industrial), applied physics or related field or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience
- Comfortable working on mechanical assemblies, prototyping, and working around industrial equipment
- Strong understanding of hypothesis-driven experimentation and basic statistical analysis
- Proficiency with CAD/CAM software
- Interested in continually optimizing performance by working hard and paying attention to details
- Strong communicator and collaborative attitude
- Self-starter who is willing to jump in where needed - helping other team members even in areas outside your expertise
- Authorized to work in the US (we can't sponsor a visa for this position)
- Experience with roll-to-roll manufacturing or web-handling
- Experience with metal rolling
- Familiarity with basic mechatronics including control and data collection through Arduino, Raspberry Pi or similar platforms
- Experience with electrical or mechanical testing equipment and instrumentation
- This…
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