{"id":674837,"url":"https://alion.io/job/enervenue-lead-engineer-separator","title":"Lead Engineer — Separator","company":{"id":673177,"name":"EnerVenue","domain":"enervenue.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/enervenue","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Rippling","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":18,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":102,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Changzhou, China"],"countries":["CN"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":31000,"max_usd":78000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":2629},"experience_years_min":4,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Statistical Process Control","optional":false},{"name":"Design of Experiments","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-17T01:07:31Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-07-17","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T15:06:44Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":108,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":108},"description":"About EnerVenue, Inc.\nNamed one of the world’s Top Greentech Companies by TIME in 2024 and 2025, EnerVenue builds simple, safer, and flexible energy storage solutions for the clean energy revolution. Based on technology proven over decades under the most extreme conditions, EnerVenue offers a differentiated stationary storage solution that improves upon today’s alternatives.\nCommercialized from research completed at Stanford University and backed by well-funded investors, EnerVenue is redefining the stationary storage market.\n About the role\nEnerVenue is seeking a technically strong Lead Engineer - Separator to own separator material selection, qualification, and manufacturing integration for its nickel hydroxide cathode / nickel-alloy anode Aqueous Metal Cell (AMC) platform. This is a hands-on technical leadership role at the heart of cell performance, safety, and lifetime - the separator directly governs ionic conductivity, gas crossover, and short-circuit resistance across a 30,000+ cycle design life.\nThe successful candidate will own the separator technical roadmap end-to-end - from material and supplier selection, through wet-out and conductivity optimization, to converting and in-line quality control at the Changzhou facility - working closely with the Head of Electrode Engineering and the Cell Engineering team. This role sits at the intersection of polymer/membrane science, electrochemistry, and manufacturing, and requires someone equally comfortable in a lab characterizing membranes and on a factory floor debugging a slitting or coating line.\nWhat you'll do\nSeparator Engineering & Qualification\nLead selection, qualification, and continuous improvement of separator materials (nonwoven polyolefin, cellulosic, or ceramic-coated membranes) for EnerVenue's AMC platform\nDefine and control separator specifications: thickness, porosity, pore-size distribution, MacMullin number, ionic (area-specific) resistance, and electrolyte wettability\nOptimize separator performance for alkaline electrolyte compatibility, including oxidative and dendrite resistance, gas (H₂/O₂) barrier properties, and long-term chemical stability\nDrive separator contribution to cell-level performance targets: cycle life, rate capability, self-discharge, and internal short-circuit resistance, targeting 30,000+ cycles\nEstablish separator characterization protocols: MacMullin number, Gurley air permeability, puncture strength, thermal shrinkage, wettability/contact angle, and SEM/porosimetry\nOwn separator-related failure analysis (shorts, dry-out, dendrite penetration) and drive corrective actions with R&D and quality teams\nManufacturing & Supplier Integration (Changzhou, China)\nSupport commissioning of separator converting operations at the Changzhou facility - slitting, winding, and inline inspection - from spec to production-qualified output\nQualify and manage relationships with domestic Chinese separator suppliers and, where applicable, coating/converting equipment vendors\nEstablish incoming-material inspection, SPC, and inline quality monitoring for separator stock used in cell assembly\nWork with Manufacturing Engineering to resolve separator-related yield issues during cell assembly ramp (alignment, wet-out time, handling damage)\nEnsure separator sourcing and handling processes meet relevant environmental, health, and safety standards under China's GB and MEP regulations\nTechnical Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration\nServe as the internal technical authority on separator materials and membrane science for the AMC platform\nPartner closely with the Head of Electrode Engineering and Cell Engineering team to co-optimize electrode, separator, and electrolyte design as an integrated system\nCollaborate with the Stanford-based R&D team to translate lab-scale separator research into manufacturable, qualified production materials\nMentor and, as the team scales, help build out a small separator engineering team in Changzhou\nReport to the Head of Electrode Engineering; provide regular updates on separator roadmap, qualification status, and supply risk\nQualifications\nEducation\nMaster's or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field\nEquivalent industry experience (4+ years) with a strong portfolio of separator or membrane product development will be considered in lieu of an advanced degree\nCore Technical Experience (Non-Negotiable)\nHands-on experience developing, qualifying, or manufacturing battery separators (alkaline, NiMH, lead-acid, or lithium-ion nonwoven/microporous membranes)\nWorking knowledge of separator characterization: MacMullin number, ionic resistance, Gurley permeability, puncture strength, wettability, and thermal shrinkage\nUnderstanding of polymer/nonwoven membrane structure-property relationships as they relate to porosity, pore morphology, and electrolyte transport\nExperience with alkaline-electrolyte-compatible materials and oxidative/chemical stability considerations\nTrack record of taking a separator or membrane material from lab-scale qualification to high-volume manufacturing\nManufacturing & Operations Experience\nExperience supporting or commissioning separator converting operations (slitting, winding, coating) in an industrial setting\nFamiliarity with Chinese manufacturing supply chains and separator/nonwoven material vendors\nUnderstanding of EHS compliance relevant to separator handling and processing under Chinese regulations\nExperience working cross-functionally with electrode and cell assembly engineering teams\nLanguage & Location\nProfessional working proficiency in Mandarin Chinese required (technical documents, supplier negotiations, team coordination)\nProfessional proficiency in English required (communication with Silicon Valley HQ, technical reporting)\nBased in or willing to relocate to Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China\nPreferred Qualifications\nDirect experience with nickel-hydrogen or NiMH battery separator systems\nPublications or patents in separator/membrane materials, alkaline electrochemistry, or nonwoven engineering\nExperience with ceramic-coated or composite separator technologies\nFamiliarity with water electrolysis (alkaline or PEM) membrane/separator technology\nExperience with DoE (design of experiments) methodologies for membrane/material optimization\nNetwork within the Chinese separator or nonwoven materials supply chain","description_format":"text","description_chars":6402,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":4,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"master","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"Chinese","level":"All levels","optional":false},{"language":"English","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":false}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"China","iso":"CN","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Energy & Utilities","Energy Storage","Hydrogen 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