Senior Technologist - Strategic Materials

Bloom Energy; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Bloom Energy in San Jose, CA seeks a Senior Technologist - Strategic Materials to lead hydrometallurgical process development and scale-up from lab to pilot and production. You will design wet-chemistry processes, optimize operations, and collaborate across R&D, engineering, and supplier partners.

This on-site role requires deep technical expertise and leadership to deliver scalable metal recovery solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering or related field; advanced degrees preferred for seniority.
• 5+ years hands-on industrial or research experience in mineral processing, metal leaching, or recycling critical minerals.

Responsibilities

• Design and run lab- and bench-scale tests for hydrometallurgical unit operations (leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange, precipitation).
• Develop and optimize process conditions for lab, bench, and pilot-scale systems.
• Provide technical leadership for wet chemistry tasks: solution chemistry, acid-base chemistry, pH control, filtration, precipitation, reagent selection, troubleshooting.
• Translate bench chemistry into pilot-plant or commercial-scale flows; assist equipment sizing for reactors, filters, thickeners, mixers, pumps.
• Lead root-cause analysis for process performance, impurity behavior, and phase separation; troubleshoot issues.
• Collaborate with Bloom Energy and supplier partners to craft pilot-test plans, SOPs, and control strategies.
• Support scale-up of critical metals supplier production from sheet to production deployment.
• Create mass and energy balances using METSIM or SYSCAD to support designs.
• Ensure safety, health, and environmental compliance for wet chemistry and waste streams.
• Mentor junior engineers and scientists; maintain clear technical records and reports.

Skills

Hydrometallurgy

Wet chemistry

Process development

Scale-up

Data interpretation

Lab management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering

Master's or Ph.D. preferred

Tools

METSIM

SYSCAD

Job description

At Bloom Energy, our vision for a world powered by clean, reliable, and affordable energy is more than just a dream-we're making it reality.

For over two decades, we've been at the forefront of the global energy transition, pioneering solutions that empower critical industries to thrive in a rapidly digitizing, energy-intensive world. From revolutionizing power for AI-driven data centers to ensuring resilience for hospitals, electric grids, manufacturing facilities, and utilities, our solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) technologies are redefining what's possible by delivering energy abundance for all. With more than 30,000 fuel cell modules deployed worldwide, we are the trusted partner for Fortune 100 companies and innovators alike. Our cutting-edge solutions enable unparalleled "time-to-power" capabilities, reliability, and sustainability, ensuring our customers remain ahead in a world where soaring energy demand and intensifying energy scarcity are rapidly becoming the new norm.

At Bloom, we thrive on collaboration, bold thinking, and relentless innovation. We believe that, together, we can create a brighter, more sustainable future while tackling the most pressing challenges of the 21st century.

We are looking for a Senior Technologist - Strategic Materials to join our team in one of today's most exciting technologies. This role will report to the Director Supply Chain, Commodity Leader and will be based in San Jose, CA. This is a fully on-site, 5 days in office role.

The Senior Technologist - Strategic Materials will lead hands-on process development, optimization, and scale-up of hydrometallurgical systems for critical and rare earth metals production. This role is ideal for someone with deep technical experience in wet chemistry, aqueous processing, leaching, precipitation, separation, purification, and pilot-scale development who wants to build real-world industrial processes, not just model them.

This position will play a key role in translating laboratory results into scalable process designs that support Bloom Energy's supply chain from process flow sheet to pilot plant to production deployment. You will work closely with R&D, engineering, and operations teams at Bloom Energy and at Supplier Partners to design experiments, troubleshoot complex process challenges, develop operating parameters, and guide junior engineers and scientists.

Key Responsibilities

• Process Development: Design and run lab- and bench-scale tests for unit operations like leaching, solvent extraction, ion exchange, and precipitation. Lead the design, execution, and analysis of hydrometallurgical experiments involving leaching, purification, precipitation, solid-liquid separation, solvent extraction, and related critical metals processes
• Develop and optimize process conditions for laboratory, bench-scale, and pilot-scale hydrometallurgical systems
• Provide technical leadership for wet chemistry work, including solution chemistry, acid-base chemistry, pH control, filtration, precipitation, reagent selection, and process troubleshooting
• Scale-Up & Operations: Translate bench chemistry into pilot-plant or commercial-scale operating flows, ensuring economic and technical viability. Support equipment sizing and selection for reactors, filtration systems, thickeners, mixer-settlers, tanks, pumps, and other hydrometallurgical process equipment
• Lead root-cause analysis and troubleshooting for process performance issues, including recovery losses, impurity behavior, phase separation challenges, and process instability
• Collaborate with engineering, R&D, and operations teams at Bloom Energy and at Supplier's to develop pilot-scale test plans, operating procedures, and process control strategies
• Support the scale-up of Bloom Energy's critical metals supplier production processes from process flow sheet through production manufacturing
• Data Modeling: Create and manage mass and energy balances using simulation tools like METSIM or SYSCAD.
• Safety & Compliance: Implement rigorous environmental, health, and safety protocols for handling wet chemistry, hazardous reagents, and waste streams.
• Lab management: Mentor junior engineers, scientists, and technicians in experimental design, lab execution, safety practices, data interpretation, and technical documentation
• Maintain clear technical records and prepare reports, presentations, and recommendations for internal design reviews and leadership discussions

Qualifications & Skills

• Education: Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Geochemistry, or Mining Engineering (Master's or Ph.D. often preferred).
• Experience: 5+ years of hands-on industrial or research experience in mineral processing, metal leaching, or recycling critical minerals. 5+ years of experience in hydrometallurgy, wet chemistry, chemical process development, mineral processing, metals refining, or related chemically intensive systems

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