Job Description
The Role\n
We're hiring a Lab Technician to be the hands and the eyes of our process development work.
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You will own the daily operation of our leaching and electrochemical recovery experiments: running them, instrumenting them, and producing data our engineering and ML teams can actually trust. When a cell underperforms, you'll be the first person to know why.
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This is a hands-on role on a small team. You'll have real influence over how our process is built, and the scope will grow as fast as you do — from bench experiments today toward pilot-scale operation.
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What You'll Work On\n
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- Execute hydrometallurgical leaching and electrochemical recovery experiments end to end
- Build, commission, maintain, and troubleshoot bench- to pilot-scale electrochemical cells
- Prepare and characterize variable secondary feedstocks
- Run and maintain analytical instrumentation; own sample prep and chain of custody
- Characterize performance using yield, current efficiency, and selectivity metrics
- Test electrode materials, membranes, and cell configurations
- Collect, clean, and maintain the integrity of our experimental dataset
- Partner with the ML and controls team to instrument experiments for real-time optimization
- Own lab safety practice: chemical handling, waste streams, SDS, PPE, and housekeeping
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What We're Looking For\n
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- Associate's or Bachelor's in chemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience
- 1+ year in a wet lab, pilot plant, or process environment
- Strong wet chemistry fundamentals: acid/base handling, filtration, precipitation, solid–liquid separation
- Rigorous documentation habits — your notebook is a deliverable
- Comfort working with acids, corrosives, and high-current electrical equipment, safely and routinely
- Mechanical aptitude: you can assemble a rig, chase a leak, and fix a pump
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Bonus (not required):
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- Electrochemistry, hydrometallurgy, or separations experience
- ICP-OES/MS, XRF, AA, or similar analytical instrumentation
- Potentiostat / galvanostat experience
- Python, or comfort with data analysis beyond a spreadsheet
- DOE, statistical process control, or scale-up experience
- Hazardous waste handling or industrial safety certification
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Logistics\n
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- Location: On-site at our warehouse facility in Fremont, CA. This role cannot be done remotely.
- Schedule: 9:00 AM–7:00 PM, Monday through Friday, at minimum. Experimental campaigns sometimes run longer.
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We want to be direct about this: these are long days, and we expect them. Runs don't stop because it's 5 PM, and the person doing the work is the person who sees what happened. If a 9-to-5 is what you're looking for, this isn't the right role — and we'd rather you know that now than three months in. All hours past eight in a day are paid as overtime, which means a typical week here pays meaningfully above the base range below.
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- Physical: Routinely lift up to 40 lbs, stand for extended periods, and work in PPE around chemical and electrical hazards.
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Compensation & Benefits\n
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- $30–$40/hr base, non-exempt — overtime paid at the California rate
- At our expected schedule, that works out to roughly $80,000–$110,000 per year including overtime
- Meaningful early-stage equity
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Overtime meals provided
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