Lead Chemist

American Battery Technology Company•Reno, NV

1d•$120,000 - $180,000

About The Position

American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) provides technical development and commercialization of domestic, sustainable sourcing of critical battery materials through lithium-ion battery recycling and battery metal extraction technologies for use in batteries that power electric cars, grid storage applications, and consumer electronics and tools. Our first of kind systems produce commercial-scale battery materials that are sold into the battery manufacturing supply chain. We are seeking an experienced Lead Chemist to support our quality control and analytical chemistry laboratory. In this role, you will provide core analytical support to ensuring the absolute quality, purity and compliance of our recycled battery products – including blackmass, mixed metal scraps, battery grade metal salts and precursors. You will oversee the development of rigorous analytical testing methods to characterize complex recycled streams and maintain strict operational excellence within the analytical lab team. You will also work with internal sales team and various external customers to establish and improve mutually agreed testing protocols to characterize the goods sold to customers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, (analytical chemistry or applied chemistry is preferred).
15+ years of hands-on laboratory experience, with a strong background in inorganic chemistry, hydrometallurgy, or the battery materials sector.
Prior experience in a senior or supervisory role is required.
Deep technical mastery of elemental and compositional analysis techniques, specifically ICP-OES/MS for heavy and transition metal quantification.
Direct familiarity with the chemical profiling of lithium-ion battery recycling streams (nickel, cobalt, manganese, lithium chemistry) is highly advantageous.
Proven experience working within structured quality management frameworks such as ISO 9001 or ISO 17025.

Responsibilities

Establish, validate, and optimize robust analytical testing methods to accurately characterize recycled battery product compositions and trace metallic impurities.
Partner directly with the QC Manager to define airtight quality thresholds and align laboratory testing with commercial purity standards. Execute and oversee high-precision testing across incoming recycled streams to guarantee absolute compositional accuracy.
Serve as the definitive technical authority and mentor for laboratory technicians and junior chemists. Train staff on advanced techniques, troubleshoot analytical anomalies, and foster a culture of rigorous scientific curiosity.
Act as the subject matter expert for the operation, calibration, and troubleshooting of advanced elemental analysis instrumentation, with a heavy focus on ICP-OES, XRF, and TOC.
Collaborate with chemical engineering and production teams to analyze process stream chemistry, quickly diagnosing and troubleshooting deviations in recycling and purification loops.
Partner with R&D chemists and engineers to design and validate novel analytical methods required to analyze experimental samples for next-generation process and product development.
Author, update, and maintain comprehensive standard operating procedures (SOPs). Enforce stringent laboratory safety guidelines regarding the handling of hazardous chemicals, heavy metal dusts, and battery waste.