The Asahi Kasei Group operates with a commitment of creating for tomorrow. Our business sectors, Material, Homes, and Health Care, contribute to the development of society by anticipating the changing needs of those around the world. We look for candidates that offer a fresh perspective and a variety of skills to help us achieve our commitment.
We are currently seeking applications to fill the following job opening at Celgard where we develop and manufacture membrane battery separators that are critical components used in lithium-ion batteries for electric drive vehicles (EDVs) and energy storage systems (ESS).
Company:
Celgard, LLC
Job Description:
About the Role
We are seeking a Research Engineer - Coating - to be a part of the coating team based in Concord, NC. This position directly reports to the Coating Technologies Leader. This position does not have any direct reports. The Research Engineer - Coating is primarily responsible for supporting the launch and development of coated separator technology within the R&D department.
Key Accountabilities
Develop next generation coating formulations
Interact with material vendors directly in order to develop working formulations and coating products
Operate Lab-pilot coater for coating development
Performance analysis of materials and coated products
Develop and evaluate new coating technology concepts, and drive forward the concept toward the production stage by designing and conducting the development plans and trials
Directly interact with external customers, internal sales, and technical service staff to understand customer requirements in order to drive new product developments
Lead projects for coating product development in collaboration with production, engineering, and other key stakeholders
Lead or support battery evaluation projects to demonstrate the developing coating products
Stay abreast of competitive market activities, products, and technical data
Support freedom-to-operate and patent landscape assessments against the background of prior art
Maintain a safe and organized, incident-free, working environment
Contribute to technical publications and presentations as appropriate, which are not trade secret and/or not of immediate commercial relevance, in order to move Celgard to an advanced position in the market
Qualifications
Education Background:
Bachelor’s in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science or related field of study is required.
Knowledge & Experience :
3+ years of product development in the area of formulation and coating development is required
Preferred industry experience includes paint, battery technology, plastics / polymers
Scale up experience is required
Hands-on experience in water and/or solvent based slurry development for thin-layer coating application and multi-layer coatings, preferred
Familiarity with formulation additives (Surfactant, dispersant, thickeners), preferred
Strong technical background in binder design and synthesis, preferred
Must be familiar with coating methods, required
Good understanding of the structure-property-relationship and root cause analysis, required (problem solving techniques and skills)
Product development project management experience with stage gate process experience, required
Execute research projects with cross-functional teams, required
Ability to plan experiments based on statistical methodology (designs of experiments) is preferred
Previous Lithium-ion battery experience is a strong plus
Must be familiar with statistical packages, ERP systems, MS Excel; Minitab is a plus
Key Attributes:
Able to work with a diverse team of individuals, both internal and external, across the globe
Team oriented and excellent interpersonal skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Must be able to work autonomously and navigate the organization to resolve complex tasks
Must be able to understand the product, be able to assess it, and make recommendations for…