Electrochemist / Electrochemical Process Engineer

Sparkmate is a tribe of fearless makers solving the world’s most pressing problems with hard tech and industrial solutions. Our goal is to transform the $1.5T global steel industry and secure critical supply chains through the complete electrification of primary ironmaking, entirely eliminating the need for fossil fuels and coal-burning blast furnaces.

Utilizing a proprietary, low-temperature electrochemical process, we split raw iron ore directly into oxygen and >99.9% (3N+) ultra-pure solid iron—the critical raw material anchoring the future of EV motors, wind turbines, robotics, and defense. While incumbents spent 10 years and $450M to reach 1 tonne/day of continuous production, we built our 1-tonne/day continuous architecture from scratch in just 12 months for under $2M. We are now scaling from our Stage 1 pre-pilot to a 3–10 tonne/day autonomous factory in Hong Kong before deploying modular plants in the US and Europe. We are looking for makers, builders, and innovators ready to turn this vision into reality.

About the Role

We are looking to strengthen our team with two (2x) Electrochemists to push our proprietary cells to the physical limits of purity, current density, and efficiency.

What you'll do:

• Maximize Product Purity: Isolate and eliminate trace impurities across diverse natural and synthetic ore feedstocks to meet rigorous global permanent magnet and electrical steel standards.

• Advance Feedstock Pre-Treatment: Design, optimize, and scale hydrometallurgical leaching pathways to clean raw materials before they enter downstream electrolysis cells.

• Optimize Cell Performance: Drive high Faradaic efficiency and minimize specific energy consumption by tuning electrolyte formulations, current density profiles, and electrode kinetics.

• Enforce Hardware Material Integrity: Develop advanced engineering isolation and protection strategies to eliminate reactor and component degradation, ensuring zero trace element contamination.

• Drive High-Velocity R&D: Run and analyze multiple automated electrolysis test loops daily, leveraging advanced real-time analytical telemetry to iterate at maximum speed.

• Scale Lab Wins to Production: Collaborate intimately with mechanical, robotics, and automation teams to seamlessly transition proven lab chemistries into multi-tonne industrial pilot reactors.

What We're Looking For:

• Hands-On Electrochemical Rig Builder: Deep practical experience designing, building, and troubleshooting experimental and pilot-scale electrochemical cells (alkaline electrolysis, electrowinning, chlor-alkali, batteries, or fuel cells).

• First-Principles Chemistry & Thermodynamics: Strong grasp of electrode kinetics, overpotentials, Pourbaix diagrams, mass transport in multi-phase slurries, and hydrometallurgical leaching.

• Analytical & Data Fluency: Experience with elemental characterization (Spark-OES, ICP-OES/MS, XRD, SEM) and programmatic data analysis (Python/MATLAB) to correlate cell telemetry with deposit purity.

• Extreme Agency & Speed: You don't wait weeks for an external lab or a vendor. You prepare the electrolyte, wire the sensors, run the cell, assay the yields using our in-house suite in hours, and iterate the same day.

Important note: We care about velocity and proof of work over pedigree. Whether you have a PhD in electrochemistry or 2 years of relentless hands-on lab/industrial output, if you learn and execute faster than anyone else, apply.

Why Join Us?

• Work inside a live, scaling industrial factory in Hong Kong where your lab breakthroughs go into multi-kilogram pilot reactors within the same week.

• Benefit from a full in-house analytical, rapid-thermal processing, and mechanical prototyping stack.

• Flat hierarchy, radical truth, zero corporate politics, and extreme ownership.

• Perks & Support: Competitive salary: 32,000-55,000 HKD + meaningful early-stage equity, full Hong Kong work visa sponsorship, daily team lunches, comprehensive healthcare coverage, and 25+ days of annual leave.

Start Date: 9 November 2026 or sooner

Location: 1 Kin Hong St, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong

Application Process (no traditional CVs):

We only hire builders. Standard CVs tell us how well you navigate a corporate ladder; they don't tell us what you can actually create. To stand out, include the following in your application and send to forge@sparkmate.com:

1. Proof of Work: Links, portfolios, photos, or videos of experimental setups, electrochemical cells, reactors, or technical projects you have physically built or optimized with your own hands.
2. The Most Impressive Thing You’ve Done: Tell us about the most extraordinary feat you have ever achieved (professional, technical, personal, or athletic) and how you pulled it off.
3. Why Sparkmate: Why do you want to spend your time and talent ending the fire age with us?

Or you may also visit https://sparkmate.com/ and enter your email address in the email box.