Chemical Process Engineer-Evaporation

Ascend Elements - Westborough, MA

Full-time

Westborough, MA

About the position

The Chemical Process Engineer-Evaporation at Ascend Elements will lead front-end engineering projects focused on converting spent electric vehicle batteries and manufacturing plant waste into high-quality battery anode and cathode powders. This role is crucial in supporting the company's mission to revolutionize lithium-ion battery materials and enhance sustainability in the industry.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical aspects of a process or utility system from conceptual stage through performance testing.
• Conduct conceptual studies and create equipment technical specifications.
• Qualify and select manufacturing vendors and review equipment design/build.
• Attend Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and support installation processes.
• Lead commissioning and site acceptance tests (SAT) and support process optimization.
• Collaborate with EPC firms or Equipment Manufacturers to design and execute plant systems.
• Develop process flow diagrams, equipment lists, layouts, utility matrices, and P&IDs for manufacturing processes.
• Work with the R&D team to scale new products and processes to pilot and production levels.
• Support production plant technical staff to meet metrics with robust processes and quality systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or a related field; advanced degree is a plus.
• 5+ years of process engineering experience in chemical or advanced materials technologies, including 3+ years of field experience.
• Direct experience in battery materials synthesis, chemical precipitation reactions, filtration, or evaporation.
• Knowledge and hands-on experience with APQP tools including FMEA, SPC, and design and process validation.
• Experience with Lean and Six Sigma tools.
• Familiarity with the capital equipment acquisition process, including technical specification generation and supplier assessment.
• Hands-on experience during commissioning processes such as water run and chemical run.
• Effective project management skills for capital equipment projects exceeding $1M.
• Strong judgment and technical knowledge for data-based decision-making.
• Knowledge in process design and equipment selection for performance chemicals and materials.

Nice-to-haves

• Competency in AutoCAD, SolidWorks, SYSCAD, OLI, and ASPEN.
• Skilled in MS Office tools including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Project.