Job Title: Product Engineer (Battery Electrode Materials / Coatings)
Location: Somerset, NJ (Onsite)
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 Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or Materials Science & Engineering
• Hands-on experience with powders + slurries/dispersion + coating/film formation (core requirement)
• Some exposure to battery electrodes (any chemistry is OK)
• 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

• 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

• 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
  

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