Research Engineer - Coating

The Asahi Kasei Group operates with a commitment of creating for tomorrow. Our business sectors, Material, Homes, and Health Care, contribute to the development of society by anticipating the changing needs of those around the world. We look for candidates that offer a fresh perspective and a variety of skills to help us achieve our commitment. We are currently seeking applications to fill the following job opening at Celgard where we develop and manufacture membrane battery separators that are critical components used in lithium-ion batteries for electric drive vehicles (EDVs) and energy storage systems (ESS). Company: Celgard, LLC Job Description: About the Role We are seeking a Research Engineer - Coating - to be a part of the coating team based in Concord, NC. This position directly reports to the Coating Technologies Leader. This position does not have any direct reports. The Research Engineer - Coating is primarily responsible for supporting the launch and development of coated separator technology within the R&D department. Key Accountabilities - Develop next generation coating formulations - Interact with material vendors directly in order to develop working formulations and coating products - Operate Lab-pilot coater for coating development - Performance analysis of materials and coated products - Develop and evaluate new coating technology concepts, and drive forward the concept toward the production stage by designing and conducting the development plans and trials - Directly interact with external customers, internal sales, and technical service staff to understand customer requirements in order to drive new product developments - Lead projects for coating product development in collaboration with production, engineering, and other key stakeholders - Lead or support battery evaluation projects to demonstrate the developing coating products - Stay abreast of competitive market activities, products, and technical data - Support freedom-to-operate and patent landscape assessments against the background of prior art - Maintain a safe and organized, incident-free, working environment - Contribute to technical publications and presentations as appropriate, which are not trade secret and/or not of immediate commercial relevance, in order to move Celgard to an advanced position in the market Qualifications Education Background: - Bachelor’s in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Polymer Science, Materials Science or related field of study is required. Knowledge & Experience: - 3+ years of product development in the area of formulation and coating development is required - Preferred industry experience includes paint, battery technology, plastics / polymers - Scale up experience is required - Hands-on experience in water and/or solvent based slurry development for thin-layer coating application and multi-layer coatings, preferred - Familiarity with formulation additives (Surfactant, dispersant, thickeners), preferred - Strong technical background in binder design and synthesis, preferred - Must be familiar with coating methods, required - Good understanding of the structure-property-relationship and root cause analysis, required (problem solving techniques and skills) - Product development project management experience with stage gate process experience, required - Execute research projects with cross-functional teams, required - Ability to plan experiments based on statistical methodology (designs of experiments) is preferred - Previous Lithium-ion battery experience is a strong plus - Must be familiar with statistical packages, ERP systems, MS Excel; Minitab is a plus Key Attributes: - Able to work with a diverse team of individuals, both internal and external, across the globe - Team oriented and excellent interpersonal skills - Excellent written and verbal communication skills - Must be able to work autonomously and navigate the organization to resolve complex tasks - Must be able to understand the product, be able to assess it, and make recommendations for improvements based on experience Asahi Kasei and Celgard Values - Sincerity – Being sincere with everyone - Challenge – Bolding taking challenges, continually seeking change - Creativity – Creating new value through unity and synergy Travel Must be able and willing to travel up to 5% for domestic and abroad for training and visiting other company locations, customers, vendors, conferences and trade shows. Working Environment This position is in a manufacturing plant setting that would require working in a production environment around chemicals. Work will require standing and walking for up to 50% of the time. Lighting and temperature are adequate. You may be required to lift up to 35 pounds and/or force necessary to push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Celgard manufacturing sites are IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 certified. Perks & Benefits - Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits, effective 1st day of the month - Flexible Spending Account & Health Savings Account - Vacation + 8 Paid Holidays + 24 Hours of Floating Holidays - 401K Safe Harbor Contribution + Matching - Paid Parental Leave after a Year of Employment - Employee Assistance Program - Life & Disability Insurances About Us For more than 50 years, Celgard has proven itself as a global leader in the development and production of high-performance membrane technology. Celgard specializes in solvent-free, dry-process, microporous membranes used as separators that are a major component of lithium-ion batteries that power a broad range of electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage systems (ESS). Celgard® membrane is also used in specialty applications such as satellites and military installations as well as other barrier-type applications like technical textiles for waterproof and breathable apparel. Headquartered in the United States, we operate manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and China and have sales and technical service staff located strategically throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Celgard, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polypore International, LP, an Asahi Kasei Company. With manufacturing facilities or sales offices in nine countries serving six continents, Polypore brings advanced development and manufacturing know-how as well as unique problem-solving capabilities to customers' lithium-ion battery development teams. The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. With more than 46,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. We are Creating for Tomorrow! Location Information Concord is part of the Charlotte metro area. Charlotte, NC, known as Queen City, is a thriving metropolitan area of over 2.6 million people across 15 counties. It is situated just north of the South Carolina border and is close enough to drive to the mountains and the beach in two-three hours. Charlotte brings diversity in people, industries and living, from urban to rural. It is ranked second among 25 largest cities for most desirable place to purchase a home by Nerdwallet.com and is ranked eighth among the top 10 big booming cities by CNNmoney.com. Charlotte is home of one of North Carolina’s largest college campuses, UNC Charlotte. Along with a friendly southern culture, Charlotte offers dining, arts, museums, major league basketball, a national football team, a soccer team, a minor league baseball team, NASCAR, shopping, festivals, a variety of amenities and quick access to several parks for people who love to go outdoors. #LI-TR1 As an equal opportunity employer, Asahi Kasei believes a diverse workforce will provide us with the ability to continuously support the changes in the economy, society, and environment.