Electrolyte Development Scientist

ORE ENERGY; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Ore Energy in Amsterdam is seeking an Electrolyte Development Scientist to lead formulation, advanced characterization, and optimization of electrolyte chemistry for iron-air energy storage. You will drive in situ and operando diagnostics, assess interactions with electrodes and materials, and translate chemical insights into scalable system improvements within a fast-growing R&D team.

The role requires a PhD in a related field, hands-on experience with in situ Raman, EIS, chromatography, and

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
• Proven electrolyte formulation and characterization experience for batteries or related electrochemical systems.
• Hands-on in situ/operando techniques (e.g., Raman, EIS, chromatography).
• Strong understanding of electrolyte chemistry and interfacial phenomena.
• Experience with alkaline or metal-air battery systems is a plus.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation, optimization of high-performance electrolytes for iron-air batteries.
• Perform physical, chemical, and electrochemical characterization.
• Design and deploy in situ and operando diagnostics.
• Study interactions between electrolyte, electrodes, separators, and cell materials.
• Correlate in situ data with cell performance and degradation pathways.
• Define electrolyte specifications, tests, and safety guidelines.
• Support scale-up and supplier qualification for raw materials.
• Collaborate with cell development, materials, testing, mechanical design, and manufacturing.

Skills

Electrolyte formulation

Electrochemical characterization

In situ operando

Analytical mindset

Technical communication

Education

PhD in Chemistry / Electrochemistry / Chemical Engineering / Materials Science

Tools

In situ Raman

Synchrotron methods

Operando gas analysis

ICP

Chromatography

EIS

Rheology

Microscopy

Job description

At Ore Energy, we are on a mission to fundamentally expand the amount of energy society can reliably use, helping move civilization toward a more abundant energy future. We are doing this by developing long-duration, utility-scale iron-air batteries that provide safe, low-cost, multi-day energy storage for electricity grids and data centers.

We are expanding our R&D and product capabilities and are looking for an Electrolyte Development Scientist to join our team in Amsterdam. In this role, you will lead the formulation, advanced characterization, and continuous optimization of our electrolyte chemistry to enhance the performance, lifetime, safety, and manufacturability of our iron-air energy storage technology.

Operating at the intersection of electrochemistry, advanced materials science, and scalable manufacturing, you will combine fundamental formulation strategies with cutting-edge in situ and operando analytical diagnostics. You will develop deep insights into real-time electrolyte behavior, component interactivity, and cell degradation mechanisms. This is a high-impact, hands-on technical role for a curious and rigorous problem-solver who thrives in an active R&D scale-up environment where the technical playbook is still being written.

• Formulation & Optimization: Develop, refine, and optimize high-performance electrolyte formulations specifically engineered for iron-air battery systems.
• Physical & Electrochemical Characterization: Lead comprehensive physical, chemical, and electrochemical characterization loops to evaluate composition, ionic conductivity, viscosity, transport dynamics, stability, and aging.
• In Situ & Operando Diagnostics: Design and deploy advanced in situ and operando characterization setups to track real-time electrolyte behavior, gas evolution, and degradation mechanisms during cell operation.
• Component Interactivity: Investigate complex chemical and electrochemical interactions between the liquid electrolyte, porous electrodes, separators, and internal cell materials.
• Structure-Performance Mapping: Correlate in situ analytical data directly with cell-level electrochemical performance metrics, overpotentials, and degradation pathways.
• Specifications & Quality Control: Define internal electrolyte specifications, standardized test protocols, chemical safety guidelines, and quality assurance requirements.
• Scale-Up & Supplier Integration: Support technology transfer to pilot manufacturing lines, establish supplier qualification standards, and drive raw material optimization.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with cell development, materials, testing, mechanical design, and manufacturing teams to translate fundamental chemical insights into system-level improvements.

• Education: PhD in Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field.
• Core Expertise: Demonstrated track record in electrolyte formulation and characterization for batteries, fuel cells, electrolyzers, or adjacent electrochemical systems.
• In Situ / Operando Mastery: Hands-on experience developing or applying in situ / operando characterization techniques (e.g., in situ Raman, synchrotron methods, operando gas analysis, ICP, chromatography, EIS, rheology, or microscopy).
• Chemical Understanding: Deep mastery of electrolyte chemistry, ion transport phenomena, interfacial behavior, electrochemical stability windows, and failure modes.
• Industry & System Background (Preferred): Experience with aqueous or alkaline electrolyte chemistries, metal-air battery systems, or long-duration energy storage (LDES) is a strong advantage.
• Advanced Methods (Preferred): Familiarity with custom in situ cell design, transport modeling/simulation, corrosion mitigation, additive chemistry, and process scale-up/supplier qualification.
• Analytical & Execution Mindset: Highly organized, data-driven, and proactive. You thrive on the lab floor directly handling experimental setups alongside multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Communication: Flawless professional English. Exceptional technical communication skills with a collaborative, solution-oriented approach to problem-solving.