Product Engineer
Job Title: Product Chemistry - Engineer (Battery Electrode Materials / Coatings)
Location: Somerset, NJ (Onsite) - Local Candidates or people moving to NJ
Type: Contract-to-hire
Hours: 8am–5pm or 9am–6pm (flex)
Pay: $28–$36/hr (depending upon experience)
Overview: A specialty materials company focused on advanced battery materials and nanotechnology - they design and manufacture materials used in lithium-ion and next-generation batteries.
Why this role is different
This is an engineering-forward, hands-on materials role (not a technician position). You’ll be working at the intersection of materials science + electrode processing + manufacturing scale-up, with growth potential.
What you’ll do
- Design, develop, and help manufacture battery electrodes, including formulation and processing of:
- Active material + conductive carbon + binder systems
- Prepare and optimize powders, dispersions/slurries, and coated films
- Characterize powders, films, and dispersions (quality, morphology, performance-related properties)
- Support development of both traditional battery materials and new active materials intended for commercialization
- Document experiments clearly and collaborate cross-functionally (R&D/manufacturing/customer-facing teams)
Must-haves
- BS/MS in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering
- Hands-on experience with powders + slurries/dispersion + coating/film formation (core requirement)
- Some exposure to battery electrodes (any chemistry is OK)
- Experience with formulations and working with powders.
- Working knowledge of wet chemistry and/or solid-state chemistry
- Comfortable with standard lab equipment and hands-on experimental work
Nice-to-haves
- Electrode processing: slurry mixing, viscosity/rheology, wet coating, tape casting/doctor blade, drying, calendering
- Battery materials background (Li-ion / Na-ion / solid-state): cathode/anode powders, conductive carbons, solid electrolytes
- Powder/film characterization: particle size, BET surface area, SEM, XRD, DSC/TGA (or similar)
Key skills
Battery electrode processing (any of the items below)
- Slurry formulation (aqueous and NMP-based), dispersion, deagglomeration
- Coating (tape casting / doctor blade / roll-to-roll concepts), drying, film uniformity
- Electrode composition optimization (active material / carbon / binder ratios)
- Powder and film characterization; particle morphology control
Battery materials (any of the materials below)
- Cathode materials (Li-ion / Na-ion): NMC/NCA/LFP/LMO/LNMO (and related oxides/phosphates)
- Anode materials: graphite (natural/synthetic), hard carbon, silicon–carbon, lithium titanate (LTO)
- Electrolyte / solid electrolyte materials: polymer/ceramic composite electrolytes; solid-state electrolyte concepts (neicorporation.com)
- Conductive additives / carbons: conductive carbon black, graphene/advanced carbons (as applicable), activated carbon (neicorporation.com)
- Binders (common electrode binder systems): PVDF, CMC, SBR (latex), PTFE (as applicable)
- Typical electrode solvents/process chemicals: NMP (non-aqueous processing), water-based binder processing