About this role
Job Description:
Key Responsibilities
• Define the reliability roadmap and targets for stack life, degradation rate and availability, grounded in electrochemical first-principles, spearhead Design for Reliability (DfR) and Manufacturability (DfM) across all stack generations. • Make DFMEA/PFMEA primary tools (not afterthoughts), linking each failure mode to a test or design control, quantify all reliability claims with documented analytical basis. • Design accelerated life testing (ALT) protocols and oversee the DVP&R to validate stack components under varied transient loads, pressures and temperatures. • Implement stack diagnostics (EIS, Cyclic Voltammetry) to monitor decay and find root causes, while respecting the limits of each characterization tool and avoiding over-interpretation. • Lead structured technical discussions, own root cause analysis on test data from the Testing Director and translate field feedback into design changes with closed-loop tracking. • Collaborate with Materials Science on membrane, catalyst, and GDL resilience and with Manufacturing/Supply Chain on FAI and IQC metrics tied to reliability. • Establish a regular communication cadence (technical deep-dives, cross-functional syncs, DFMEA/PFMEA reviews), communicate decisions in writing with supporting data and specific timelines—never vague terms like 'soon' or 'ASAP.' • Own your full domain—roadmap, qualification plans, design changes, timelines, staffing and budgets—with transparency on both wins and setbacks, escalate early with clear context. • Set realistic timelines with built-in contingency, plan alternate approaches rather than assuming success and document timeline decisions and their reasoning. • Integrate cost and lifecycle economics into design decisions, including component-level cost breakdowns and sensitivity analyses, so $/reliability metrics carry unit-cost context.
Required Qualifications
• B.Tech/M.Tech in Chemical, Materials Science, Metallurgy, or Electrochemistry with a minimum 15+ years of experience in electrolyzer stack development, batteries or fuel cell development. • Deep knowledge in electrochemical characterization techniques (CV, LSV, EIS), electrochemical degradation mechanisms, safety protocols, and regulatory compliance for electrolyzer/batteries. • Proven ability to bridge engineering and operational teams to drive measurable product improvements. • Strong data analysis skills, proficiency with reliability tools and statistical software (Minitab, JMP, or equivalent). • Exceptional communication, leadership, and organizational skills. • Understand the limits of diagnostic and characterization tools (EIS, CV, electron microscopy, etc.). Know what each tool can and cannot reliably tell you. Avoid over-interpreting results beyond their technical scope.
Preferred Qualifications
• Track record of systematizing reliability processes and driving measurable improvements across teams. • Evidence of teaching others scientific reasoning and hypothesis-driven engineering, not just managing tasks. • Extensive experience with DFMEA and PFMEA methodologies applied to design and manufacturing processes. • Field experience with deployed electrochemical systems and real-world degradation analysis. • Familiarity with renewable energy or electrochemical energy storage systems.
Leadership Philosophy & Cultural Fit This role requires comfort with:
• Quantified decision-making: decisions backed by data, not opinions. • Structured communication: technical rigor in staff meetings, written rationale for design changes. • Ownership accountability: transparent reporting of both progress and setbacks. • Avoiding hope-based planning: planning contingencies, escalating early, not assuming success. • Continuous scientific learning: staying current on electrochemistry, degradation mechanisms, and characterization techniques.
This role will not be successful if the candidate:
• Prefers 'best effort' over systematic, accountable delivery. • Communicates vaguely on timelines ('soon,' 'ASAP,' 'next week' instead of specific dates). • Treats technical deep dives as status meetings. • Avoids escalating problems until they become critical. • Resists making decisions with incomplete information (needs 'perfect' data, not 'good enough'). • Defaults to trial-and-error approaches instead of hypothesis-driven, first-principles engineering.
Success Metrics (18-Month Horizon)
• DfR roadmap completed with quantified targets (e.g., 80k-hour stack life, 80% closure rate). • Team execution of DFMEA/PFMEA: zero 'checkbox' artifacts; all failure modes linked to verification methods with clear traceability. • Qualification plans approved by cross-functional leadership and baseline-lined with clear success criteria. As a senior engineering and technology leader, you will own the long-term reliability, durability, safety, and performance of PEM electrolyzer stacks—bridging early R&D and commercial-scale manufacturing for systems that must withstand harsh dynamic conditions, frequent start-stop cycles and fluctuating renewable power. You will own the reliability strategy from design through manufacturing, grounded in electrochemical first-principles and driving DFMEA/PFMEA as primary design tools not afterthought compliance checkboxes. Ohmium is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.