Senior Scientist - NMC battery materials

About Umicore

Reducing harmful vehicle emissions. Giving new life to used metals. Powering the cars of the future. As a global materials and technology group, we apply our specialist knowledge to offer materials and solutions that are essential to everyday life. We aim to be a clear world leader in materials for clean mobility and recycling and have turned our sustainability approach into an even greater competitive advantage. With ambitions like this, imagine what you could do?

About Rechargeable Battery Materials

We are all on the move. Umicore’s rechargeable battery materials give people autonomy and connectivity. We are a pioneer in battery materials that give added range and performance to electric vehicles. Our materials also ensure longer battery life for portable electronics. To enable our customers to produce even better performing batteries we cannot stand still. We need to find new ways to do things, discover new solutions and develop new ideas. Which is where you come in.

What you will be doing

1. Influence R&D technology roadmap and lead product development for NMC cathode materials for high-voltage applications.
2. Design and optimize material technologies (composition, morphology, surface/coating...) to improve energy density, power, cycle life and thermal stability.
3. Develop scalable process innovations (lithiation, sintering, milling) to improve productivity and decrease process costs while maintaining product performance.
4. Drive innovation in precursor synthesis, co-precipitation control, calcination, and post-treatment processes.
5. Translate laboratory results into pilot-scale and mass-production-ready processes, working closely with process engineering and manufacturing teams.
6. Analyze and solve complex failure-modes related to capacity fade, gas generation, cracking, metal dissolution, and thermal degradation.
7. Collaborate cross-functionally inside and outside the BMC RnD organization with electrochemistry, cell design, electrolyte, and manufacturing specialists to ensure system-level understanding.
8. Monitor and evaluate competitive technologies, patents, and academic developments to maintain technology leadership.
9. Mentor 1 or 2 junior scientists (masters-level) and contribute to building a world-class materials research team.
10. Prepare and review technical reports, IP disclosures, and patent filings.

Who we are looking for

• PhD or MSc with significant industry experience in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience with NMC cathode materials in industrial and applied research settings at top-tier battery manufacturers or cathode material suppliers.
• With proven expertise in:
•   Medium-Ni HV NMC design, failure mode understanding and remediation, and cell integration strategies
•   Particle engineering (primary/secondary particles)
•   Surface coatings and bulk doping
•   Cathode process development
•   Co-precipitation and precursor chemistry
• Strong understanding of electrochemical performance–structure relationships.
• Proven track record of scaling materials from lab to production.
• Experience working under IP-sensitive and confidentiality-critical.
• Working in global English-speaking environment.

What we offer

We aim to lead the way. Not just for our customers, but for our employees too. That is why we strive to create a collaborative environment in which we can all succeed, and a culture through which we can all share ideas, develop our expertise and advance our careers. As you would expect from a world-leading organization, we will also reward your contribution with a competitive salary and benefits. With all this and more, imagine what you could do?

If our battery materials can power electric vehicles, IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD DO?