Development Chemist: Battery Separator Innovation & Scale-Up

Henpen Corporation; Johnson City (TN); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance available

Annual bonus

Job summary

Henpen Corporation is seeking a Development Chemist to support R&D and commercialization of advanced battery separator technologies for lead-acid battery applications. You will develop next-generation materials and optimize manufacturing processes from lab scale to pilot and full production.

The role offers the chance to influence product development, manufacturing performance, and future technology initiatives within a growing organization.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, or Materials Science or related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of product development experience involving polymers, porous membranes, separator technology, or related materials.
• Hands-on experience with extrusion, polymer processing, coating technologies.
• Experience with DOE, process optimization, and statistical problem-solving.
• Experience with SEM, DSC, TGA, porosimetry, tensile testing or similar laboratory equipment.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams supporting product commercialization and manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize new formulations for battery separator materials.
• Improve separator performance, durability, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Design and execute laboratory experiments using Design of Experiments (DOE).
• Support process development involving extrusion, polymer processing, pore formation, extraction, and coating technologies.
• Evaluate separator properties including permeability, pore structure, mechanical strength, electrical resistance, wettability, oxidation stability, and overall product performance.
• Analyze materials using characterization techniques such as SEM, DSC, TGA, porosimetry, and related analytical methods.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, engineering, and operations teams to transition products from R&D into commercial production.
• Investigate manufacturing and formulation issues using structured problem-solving and root cause analysis.
• Prepare technical reports, operating procedures, and project documentation while presenting findings to internal stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives while maintaining safety and operational excellence.

Skills

5+ years product development

Polymer science

Materials characterization

DOE and statistical analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS or MS in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, or Materials Science

Tools

SEM

DSC

TGA

Porosimetry

Tensile testing

DOE software (Statistica/JMP)

Job description

Henpen Corporation is seeking a Development Chemist to support R&D and commercialization of advanced battery separator technologies for lead-acid battery applications. You will develop next-generation materials and optimize manufacturing processes from lab scale to pilot and full production.

The role offers the chance to influence product development, manufacturing performance, and future technology initiatives within a growing organization.