Catholyte Engineer, Senior Member of Technical Staff
About The Position
QuantumScape is on a mission to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company’s next-generation batteries are designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future. What we need: We are seeking a Senior Member of Technical Staff (SMTS) with deep expertise in catholyte development for all‑solid‑state batteries (ASSB). This role will lead formulation, processing, and integration of catholytes with solid state electrolyte and cathode active materials (CAM) to deliver cell-level performance, reliability, and manufacturability. The ideal candidate combines materials science and electrochemistry with hands-on process development and can drive multi-functional execution from concept to pilot scale.
Requirements
- Ph. D. in Materials Science/Chemical Engineering/Electrochemistry.
- 3+ years hands-on experience in catholyte development for oxide/sulfide/halide solid-state batteries.
- Proficiency with EIS, cycling protocols, and microstructural/mechanical characterization.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with oxide/sulfide/oxyhalide; CAMs such as NMC/LMO/LMR variants adapted for ASSB.
- Knowledge of coatings, additives, binder systems, and functional fillers for interface control.
- Familiarity with cell stacking/lamination methods.
- Experience integrating computational/physics-based models to guide materials down‑selection.
- Authoritative publications and notable patent filings in solid-state battery materials.
Responsibilities
- Catholyte Formulation & Design: Develop and optimize oxide/oxyhalide/sulfide-based catholytes; establish structure–property relationships governing ionic conductivity, mechanical compliance, and interfacial stability.
- Interface Engineering: Reduce interfacial impedance and contact loss at solid electrolyte|catholyte|CAM interfaces; develop coatings, additives, surface treatments, and gradient architectures to improve stability across voltage windows.
- Process Development: Responsible for mixing, dispersion, slurry rheology management, film casting and lamination, densification, and curing or thermal procedures. Establish critical-to-quality (CTQ) parameters and implement statistical process control (SPC) measures to ensure consistent yield.
- Performance: Correlate catholyte microstructure to cathode utilization, rate capability, and cycle life.
- Characterization: Establish test plans using electrochemical techniques, mechanical testing and microstructure characterization.
- Multi-functional Leadership: Partner with cell design, modeling, reliability, manufacturing, and quality to translate materials insights into cell architectures.
- Mentorship: Provide guidance to junior engineers and technicians, promoting protocols in materials processing, upholding experimental difficulty, and ensuring data reliability.
Benefits
- QuantumScape also provides an annual bonus and a comprehensive RSU/Equity package as part of its overall compensation strategy.
- Additionally, our benefits offer include employer-paid healthcare, participation in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and a variety of other attractive perks.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
Number of Employees
501-1,000 employees
