Senior Chemist/Materials Scientist

Role details

Position Summary

The Senior Chemist / Materials Scientist owns the chemistry behind Empower EIT's Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) platform: the lithium-selective sorbent, the elution and regeneration chemistry, and the conversion of eluate to battery-grade lithium carbonate. The role carries that chemistry from the bench through pilot operation and into the design basis of a commercial-scale DLE unit.

Sorbent and media development

• Lead development of lithium-selective sorbents and ion-exchange media: synthesis, surface

functionalization, and structure–performance studies.

• Improve capacity, selectivity, kinetics and cycle life across brines of differing chemistry.

• Scale media synthesis from gram to production batches, reducing yield loss, cycle time and

material cost.

Process chemistry

• Develop and optimize load, wash, elution and regeneration chemistry, including reagent selection

and consumption.

• Develop purification and precipitation steps that convert eluate to battery-grade lithium

carbonate.

• Characterize feed brines and identify scaling, fouling and impurity risks to the process.

Pilot and scale-up

• Translate bench results into pilot operating strategies and support pilot commissioning, operation

and troubleshooting.

• Build and validate mass balances; supply the process chemistry basis for flowsheet modeling and

equipment design.

• Work with process engineering and operations on the design basis of the commercial unit.

Analytical and quality

• Run and develop analytical methods (ICP-OES, XRD, SEM, BET, FTIR) and supervise data quality.

• Write SOPs and QA/QC protocols; support product certificates of analysis for customer

qualification.

• Apply Design of Experiments and root-cause analysis to test programs.

Technical leadership

• Generate invention disclosures and support patent filings; document work for regulatory and grant

reporting.

• Mentor junior engineers and technicians; present results to management, partners and investors.

• Lead laboratory HSE practice for corrosive and hazardous reagents.

Minimum Requirements

• PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering or a related field.

• 5+ years of industrial or applied R&D in hydrometallurgy, sorbent or ion-exchange development, or

critical-mineral extraction.

• Hands-on experience with at least two of: ion exchange, solvent extraction, leaching,

precipitation, membrane separation.

• Demonstrated scale-up of a process or material from bench to pilot, including mass balances and

pilot troubleshooting.

• Proficiency with ICP, XRD, SEM, BET and FTIR, and with Design of Experiments.

• Track record of SOP and QA/QC documentation suitable for technology transfer.

• Authorization to work in the United States; willingness to travel to pilot and field sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience developing lithium-selective sorbents for DLE, including multi-cycle

performance testing on real brines.

• Polymer or inorganic sorbent synthesis and production-route optimization.

• Lithium carbonate or hydroxide conversion and purification to battery-grade specification.

• Process modeling with METSIM, DWSIM, Aspen or similar.

• Patents, peer-reviewed publications, or competitive grant funding in extraction chemistry.

• Leadership of a pilot-plant program, including HSE-compliant commissioning.

About Empower EIT and how to apply

Empower EIT is building an integrated lithium platform that combines direct lithium extraction technology, battery-grade conversion technology, and strategic lithium brine assets in the United States.

To apply

Submit your resume and a cover letter highlighting your design and process engineering experience.

Empower EIT offers competitive compensation and a benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision coverage. Empower EIT is an equal opportunity employer. Only candidates whose qualifications match the role will be contacted. We do not accept agency submissions for this position.