R&D Technician

at  Blue Current

ABOUT BLUE CURRENT

Blue Current is a manufacturer of Solid-state batteries based in Hayward, California. The company strives to provide engineers and designers with the highest performance and safest battery storage for the future energy economy including electric vehicles, consumer, medical and IoT devices. Blue Current leads with science, data and thoughtful IP across the full battery solution stack. Our team is diverse with deep research, implementation, and go-to-market experience. Our facility is located on San Francisco Bay with thousands of acres of wildlife preserve and miles of trails for recreation.

SUMMARY

Blue Current is seeking an experienced and talented R&D Technician with a passion for batteries to join our team in Hayward, California. As a hands-on member of Blue Current’s R&D team, you will be instrumental in developing next-generation solid state battery chemistries for high performance applications such as electric vehicles. The successful candidate will build and test prototype batteries in furtherance of Blue Current’s technology.

REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum 5 years experience working in an R&D environment
• Ability to work in a dry room and in gloveboxes for extended periods of time
• Ability to follow written SOPs and identify errors or clarity issues
• Working knowledge of Excel, Word, Google Sheet, Airtable, and similar software
• Strong interpersonal skills. Must be able to deal with a fast paced working environment with changing priorities and evolving assembly and test procedures
• Respect and adherence to lab and work safety policies

• Work with team members to perform all tasks related to R&D cell building and testing
• Follow recipes to create slurries for various battery formulations
• Coat slurries using a Dr blade or similar coating method
• Calender electrodes to target porosities, following instructions from engineers
• Assemble solid state cells according to work order instructions specifying certain material combinations to test
• Perform visual quality checks on coating quality, and take measurements to ensure various weights, voltages, dimensions, etc. are within specifications
• Enter measurement results into internal data portal, ensuring completeness and accuracy
• Assemble completed cells into test fixtures
• Place cells on test with specific test protocols, and with specific test channels as determined by the team.
• Monitor cell test status. Alert team members to tests with status changes such as errors, completion, and change orders.
• Perform electromechanical assembly tasks as needed, such as terminating cables and soldering wires