Manager, Materials Engineering

Are you ready to build America’s energy future? Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company. We’re revolutionizing energy storage with cost-effective, multi-day technology designed to keep the electric grid secure and reliable, even during extended periods of stress. By strengthening the electric system and reimagining what’s possible, we’re giving clean energy a whole new form! In recent years, Form Energy has earned a number of accolades, including being named by TIME as a “Best Invention”, MIT Technology Review as a “Top Climate Tech Company To Watch”, and Fast Company as “One of the Next Big Things In Tech”. We are making rapid progress on our mission of delivering energy storage for a better world, and our team is growing just as rapidly to meet demand. We have signed contracts with leading electric utilities across the United States and production of our iron-air batteries is underway at our first high-volume manufacturing facility in West Virginia. Working for Form Energy is more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something extraordinary. And now - right as we significantly scale up battery manufacturing - might be the most exciting moment in the company’s history to join. We are assembling a team of highly talented and driven individuals across the country. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, our team is determined to deliver on our mission and transform the energy landscape for the better. Feeling energized to make a meaningful impact on the world? Then keep reading - you’ve come to the right place. Role Description As a Materials Engineering Manager, you will build and direct a team responsible for the design, specification, validation, and scale up of our core cathode materials. Reporting to the Manager of Cathode Development within the Core Technology organization, you will lead the technical development and scaling of our cathode materials to meet rigorous performance, lifetime, and cost metrics. You will partner closely with electrochemical, advanced manufacturing, supply chain, and quality teams to transition cathode material designs from the laboratory to high-volume production environment. Ultimately, your leadership will enable the high performance of our air-breathing cathode, allowing Form Energy to deliver multi-day energy storage that secures electric grid reliability. Relocation assistance is available. What you'll do: Own the design and validation of cathode materials, utilizing statistical methods to determine product specifications that satisfy performance, cost, and manufacturability criteria. Manage, mentor, and deploy a team of 4+ materials engineers, fostering technical excellence and aligning daily engineering tasking with master project milestones. Partner cross-functionally with advanced manufacturing and process engineering to provide feedback and streamline the transition from development to high-volume production. Prioritize safety across the product lifecycle by enforcing hazard mitigations, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Drive critical design and vendor management initiatives for raw materials, establishing clear technical specifications backed by component performance data. Collaborate with engineering program managers to build comprehensive schedules, track project risk, and deliver on technical milestones. Architect clear, structured technical updates and options to facilitate informed, strategic decision-making with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. What you'll bring: Degree in materials science, chemical engineering, chemistry, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline. Multiple years of hands-on product development experience navigating the transition of materials from R&D to high-volume manufacturing environments, including Design for Manufacturing (DFM) feedback. Formal management experience with a proven track record of coaching technical talent and balancing tactical execution with broader product strategy. Practical experience building clear linkages between structural material properties and final product performance. Familiarity with planning and interpreting complex experimental datasets via Design of Experiments (DOE), utilizing analytical tools such as JMP or Minitab. Demonstrated utilization of engineering tools such as FMEA and RCA to mitigate risks. Strong verbal and written communication skills to influence processes, build consensus, and summarize technical conclusions for multidisciplinary stakeholders. Willingness to travel domestically up to 15% of the time to support project execution across different facilities. Intellectual curiosity, a dedication to pragmatic problem-solving, and a clear capacity for thriving on complexity within a fast-paced organization. #LI-Onsite Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy’s culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here. When it comes to you and your family’s health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed. To build America’s energy future, we need everyone at the table. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply to our open jobs. If you may require reasonable accommodations to participate in our interview process, please contact [email protected]. Requests for accommodations will be treated with discretion. Form Energy is committed to maintaining the privacy of our applicants. Please be aware that we will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.